The Food and Agriculture Special Interest Group (SIG) for the Information Technology-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IT-ISAC) has been renamed as the Food and Agriculture-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Food and Ag-ISAC) to enable information-sharing between the agri-food and security sectors to protect U.S. agriculture and food from cyber threats.

The Food and Ag-ISAC addresses a void that has existed since 2008, when a prior food sector ISAC was shut down after six years due to not being used. In the April/May 2023 issue of Food Safety Magazine, cybersecurity experts from Auburn University, which collaborates with the IT-ISAC Food and Agriculture SIG, wrote about the importance of establishing an ISAC for the agri-food sector amid rising security threats.

The rebranding of the Food and Ag-ISAC also comes nearly two years after the most significant cyber-attack on the agri-food sector to date—when meat processing giant JBS was infected by ransomware in 2021.

IT-ISAC was formed in 2000 to grow a diverse community of companies that leverage IT and have a common commitment to cybersecurity, fostering collaboration and sharing of relevant, actionable cyber threat information, effective security policies, and practices. IT-ISAC augments member companies’ internal capabilities by providing access to curated cyber threat analysis, an intelligence management platform, and a forum to engage with senior analysts from peer companies. IT-ISAC is recognized by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the IT Sector Coordinating Council as the IT sector’s designated information-sharing forum.

Editor's Note: The IT-ISAC's Food and Agriculture SIG, renamed as the Food and Ag-ISAC, has not been formally recognized by the federal government as the sector's official ISAC.