Articles Tagged with ''cybersecurity''

Information sharing is an important function for a Food and Agriculture Information Sharing and Analysis Center (FA-ISAC), which links business and government through "active collaboration,"  thereby strengthening the ability of the food and agriculture industries to withstand challenges and threats.

While ransomware is the most common cyberattack vector for businesses, other cyber threats can be far more dangerous to the food supply system, as discussed in this article.

Threat information should be disseminated as rapidly as possible, especially between businesses that may otherwise be restricted by anti-competitive laws or regulations. This article discusses the nature of the information that should be and is typically shared by businesses participating in an Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC).

The Food and Agriculture special interest group for the Information Technology-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (IT-ISAC) has formed the new Food and Agriculture-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Food and Ag-ISAC) to enable information-sharing between the agrifood and security sectors about protecting U.S. agriculture and food from cyber threats.

With security threats against the sector increasing and cyber threats against the global supply system also on the rise, it is imperative that a food and agriculture ISAC be formed. It does not have to be fully capable at the start; just a few large companies that agree to pool and analyze threat information can plant the initial seed. If successful awareness and deterrence can be demonstrated, then other companies will join. At full capability, the ISAC can serve as a watch and warning center for the sector, providing timely threat analysis for members at all levels. In this article, the authors look at what it takes to create and run a successful ISAC.

AnzenSage, a cybersecurity consulting firm, has launch with the aim of providing resilience solutions to the food industry. 

An increasingly critical element of food safety and defense planning is assurance of data integrity—the ability to keep data unchanged as it is communicated or stored. Information that is used for decision-making or reporting cannot be compromised, altered, or manipulated by unauthorized users. Threat information is best shared through the establishment and voluntary participation of an Information Sharing and Analysis Center (ISAC). Food and agriculture is the only sector that lacks an ISAC. With security threats against the sector increasing and cyber threats against the global supply system also on the rise, it is imperative that a food and agriculture ISAC be formed.

On November 10, 2022, U.S. President Joe Biden signed the National Security Memorandum-16 (NSM-16), which aims to strengthen the security and resilience of the U.S. food supply and agricultural systems. NSM-16 focuses on threats such as climate change, supply chain disruption, cyberattacks, worker safety and workplace development, and other topics.

Cyber is the backbone for food and agriculture defense. Adversaries have the means, opportunity, and motivation to break the cyber backbone at will. If or when adversaries carry out an attack of large magnitude, the result could be a massive compromise of food safety, food defenses, and food security. To avoid that dark scenario, agriculture and food companies must properly prepare for a different kind of assault. The place to start is with their own cyber defense systems.

In this episode of Food Safety Matters, we interviewed professionals from the industry, regulatory, and nonprofit sectors, live from the show floor of the Food Safety Summit, which took place on May 9–12 in Rosemont, Illinois. We discussed food safety management systems, the New Era of Smarter Food Safety, recall modernization, supply chain disruptions, food fraud, and humanizing food safety through effective messaging.