Precision agriculture software
The Federal Bureau of Investigation has issued a warning to farmers who use Precision Agriculture software to monitor and manage their farm lands.
In their warning farmers are advised to be mindful of how they configure any of their devices on-line as hackers have been stealing their farm-related stored data.
Internet security breaches are generally a common problem and now pirates are hoping to steal the private information of American farmers.
Farmers often use Precision Agriculture software because of its trusted reputation. Agriculturists like how the dependable technology can help them save time, energy, and effort in their industry.
Those who use it often report having higher percentages of crop harvests than those who use old fashioned methods. Whenever data is being managed online, there is always a risk for hackers to break in and steal private research.
The FBI wants to remind farmers that the companies that they may hire to manage their data need to have a plan to prevent a breach in data as well a response plan in the unfortunate event a breach does occur.
Preventing software from protestors
Certain activists may be targeting farmer’s private business information for political reasons. Some citizens are not happy with the laws put in place by the government concerning agricultural policies.
Last year, an anonymous computer hacker stole the information of USDA employees and distributed their information online. His goal was to call attention to a global agricultural corporation known as Monsanto in what he felt was a protest movement.
Saving information from the competitor
Rogue activists aren’t the only ones out there looking to steal farmer’s information. The farming industry has grown competitive in recent years and many farm operators have come to rely on smart devices in order to monitor their production and sustain profitability.
With competition on the rise some less successful farmers might profit from knowing the secrets his tech savvy competitor. Information from smart tractors can be at risk if they are not carefully configured.
Data regarding crop harvests and other farm activity could mean more profit for the competitor if he can get his hands on it.
The FBI is hoping that there won’t be another repeat catastrophe like with the unforgettable health care breach.
FBI and USDA representatives believe that the agriculture industry is at risk for a breach similar in scale to the health care leak disaster.
When this catastrophe struck in the medical sector, no one was prepared for the emergence of the Internet of Things. Because they do not want farmers to suffer a similar fate they have now introduced a guideline on which American Agriculturists can build their online security structure.
Business personnel should keep an eye on employee logins that happen outside of regular business hours.
Two-factor authentication processes should be mandatory, especially if the logins are occurring outside the worksite. An example would be not only having employees be able to enter their password, but also have them answer a valid security question which only they should know the answer to.
Have an email account specifically for their own employees. It’s important for those in managerial positions to be able to monitor the emails of their employees and for employees to have a place where they can send any suspicious emails that they receive. In this way, problems in security can be resolved before they escalate.
Make sure employees are in the know when it comes to social engineering dangers. Be sure they have proper training so that they understand how to do things like formulating a strong password, report suspicious activity, and how to log-out of applications successfully.
Review unusual or unauthorized traffic over uncommon portals.
Keep a watch on employee activity via the internet. Outgoing data can be just as harmful as incoming data. Sometimes employees can be working against the good of the company whether they realize it or not.
If an employee is emailing someone their password or sharing other private information, the problem must be dealt with immediately to avoid serious repercussions.
Block all unknown IP addresses. Employees can be subject to fraudulent activity from hacker sites pretending to be other trusted websites. Be wary of the unknown.
Remind employees to log out of every application after they are done with their work. Leaving their desktop open while they visit the water cooler or use the restroom is not acceptable.
Someone can be accessing their private information and sealed company research when they walk away. It should be company policy that all applications are logged out of before the employee leaves their computer.
Use a VPN (Virtual Private Network) for all off-site logins. By utilizing a VPN, those in charge can monitor all activity being performed in real time.
If the activity seems criminal or suspicious, they can immediately shut down the application so that no more data can be stolen. They can then report the happening to the police.
Security breaches happen every day, but by employing the strategies listed in this article Precision Agriculture users can do more to prevent it happening to their business.
