Wide-ranging use of smart technologies is raising global agricultural production but international researchers warn this digital-age phenomenon could reap a crop of another kind - cybersecurity attacks.

Complex IT and math modelling at King Abdulaziz University in Saudi Arabia, Aix-Marseille University, France and Flinders University in South Australia, has highlighted the risks in a new article in the open access journal Sensors.

"Smart sensors and systems are used to monitor crops, plants, the environment, water, soil moisture, and diseases," says lead author Professor Abel Alahmadi from King Abdulaziz University.

"The transformation to digital agriculture would improve the quality and quantity of food for the ever-increasing human population, which is forecast to reach 10.9 billion by 2100."

This progress in production, genetic modification for drought-resistant crops, and other technologies is prone to cyber-attack - particularly if the ag-tech sector doesn't take adequate precautions like other corporate or defence sectors, researchers warn.

Flinders University researcher Dr Saeed Rehman says the rise of internet connectivity and smart low-power devices has facilitated the shift of many labour-intensive food production jobs into the digital domain - including modern techniques for accurate irrigation, soil and crop monitoring using drone surveillance.

"However, we should not overlook security threats and vulnerabilities to digital agriculture, in particular possible side-channel attacks specific to ag-tech applications," says Dr Rehman, an expert in cybersecurity and networking.

"Digital agriculture is not immune to cyber-attack, as seen by interference to a US watering system, a meatpacking firm, wool broker software and an Australian beverage company."

"Extraction of cryptographic or sensitive information from the operation of physical hardware is termed side-channel attack," adds Flinders co-author Professor David Glynn.

"These attacks could be easily carried out with physical access to devices, which the cybersecurity community has not explicitly investigated."

The researchers recommend investment into precautions and awareness about the vulnerabilities of digital agriculture to cyber-attack, with an eye on the potential serious effects on the general population in terms of food supply, labour and flow-on costs.

Research Report:Cyber-Security Threats and Side-Channel Attacks for Digital Agriculture

Related Links
Flinders University
Farming Today - Suppliers and Technology

Tweet

Thanks for being here; We need your help. The Space Media Network continues to grow but revenues have never been harder to maintain. With the rise of Ad Blockers, and Facebook - our traditional revenue sources via quality network advertising continues to decline. And unlike so many other news sites, we don't have a paywall - with those annoying usernames and passwords. Our news coverage takes time and effort to publish 365 days a year. If you find our news sites informative and useful then please consider becoming a regular supporter or for now make a one off contribution.
SpaceMediaNetwork Contributor $5 Billed Once credit card or paypal		SpaceMediaNetwork Monthly Supporter $5 Billed Monthly paypal only

Regrow, not reuse: How restoring abandoned farms can mitigate climate change
Princeton NJ (SPX) May 26, 2022
Around the world, hundreds of millions of acres of land are being abandoned due to what's known as "rural outmigration," or people leaving for urban centers. Some people leave in search of economic prosperity. Others are forced out due to conflict or the effects of climate change. Together with globalization and mechanization, these population shifts are changing the economics of farming in these areas, causing less productive lands to be abandoned. Some of these croplands eventually regenerate in ... read more