Cyber Risks in Agriculture: A Guide for Business Leaders

Jun 6, 2025 11:04:55 AM

At first glance, agriculture might not seem like a top target for cyberattacks. For years, the sector has operated with minimal reliance on digital infrastructure. But as farms and food producers adopt connected technologies at scale, the attack surface has expanded rapidly. In 2024, agriculture was the 7th most targeted industry globally, and The Netherlands - as the world’s second-largest exporter of agricultural products - is particularly at risk.

From ransomware crippling supply chains to nation-state actors stealing trade secrets, cyberattacks on the agriculture sector are no longer a hypothetical scenario; they are happening now. Gaining a solid understanding of what’s happening, and what you can do about it, is particularly important in light of the NIS2 Directive, which requires business leaders to take direct accountability for cybersecurity.

The good news is that you don’t need a degree in computer science to understand the risks your business faces. In this blog, we break down the biggest cyber threats facing the agriculture sector and outline practical steps you can take to start improving your resilience. Let’s dive in!

Key cyber threats facing agriculture

1. Ransomware disrupting operations

With agriculture embracing digital transformation (Industry 4.0), technologies like IoT devices, smart sensors, and robotics have gone a long way towards automation, improving the supply chain and tackling global food shortages. However, increasing digitalization has also expanded the attack surface - the number of entry points hackers can exploit. Every connected system, from automated irrigation to climate-controlled storage, represents a potential vulnerability if not properly secured.

Ransomware groups are quick to take advantage of this. During a ransomware attack, critical systems and data are locked down, making them inaccessible until a ransom is paid. Many attackers go further with double extortion - stealing sensitive data and threatening to release it unless additional payments are made. Agriculture’s razor-thin profit margins and tightly scheduled production cycles make it an especially attractive target. Attackers count on the fact that companies can’t afford prolonged downtime, making them more likely to pay the ransom rather than risk operational collapse. This has resulted in the number of ransomware attacks against agriculture doubling in 2025 compared to the previous year. [1]

2. Nation-state espionage targeting agriculture

As a global leader in agricultural innovation, the Netherlands is a prime target for state-sponsored cyber espionage. Countries like China, Iran, Russia, and North Korea seek to bypass long and costly R&D processes by stealing cutting-edge agricultural research, technologies, and trade secrets.

Food security is a strategic priority, and these innovations to modernize food production are highly sought after. To obtain them, nation-states rely on teams of highly skilled hackers known as Advanced Persistent Threats (APTs). These state-sponsored groups conduct stealthy and sophisticated espionage campaigns, breaking into companies’ systems and quietly siphoning away valuable information. While not publicly attributed to a nation-state, the 2023 cyberattack on Dole - an Irish-American agricultural multinational - demonstrates the real-world risks. Attackers accessed internal files and exfiltrated sensitive data, disrupting operations and halting grocery shipments for days, ultimately costing the company more than $10 million. [2] To maintain a competitive advantage, staying ahead of these threats is crucial for companies operating in agriculture and related sectors, such as horticulture, food production, and agri-tech.

3. Supply chain vulnerabilities

The agriculture sector depends on a vast and interconnected supply chain, spanning suppliers, distributors, logistics providers, and technology vendors. This interdependence creates a broad attack surface, where a single weak link can expose an entire network. For this reason, cybercriminals and state-sponsored actors frequently target smaller, less-protected partners as an entry point to compromise larger organizations.

The vulnerability of the food supply chain was brought into sharp focus during the 2021 ransomware attack on JBS, a leading global meat supplier. Believed to be the work of the Russia-based REvil group, the attack forced the shutdown of major meat processing plants across the U.S., Canada, and Australia, raising alarms over supply shortages and price spikes. JBS ultimately paid an $11 million ransom to regain control of its systems. As this incident shows, when just one link in the chain is compromised, the ripple effects can be immediate and far-reaching, necessitating end-to-end security across the entire supply chain. [3]

4. Security risks in smart farming and OT systems

Many smart farming technologies, such as irrigation, climate control, and livestock management systems were not built with security in mind. In fact, a recent review of these technologies found that many are still in the prototype or early development stages, despite being used widely. This lack of maturity creates security gaps which hackers can exploit. [4]

At the same time, Operational Technology (OT) systems – which play a crucial role in food production, processing, and distribution – face similar risks. Traditionally, OT networks were isolated from the internet, meaning they were never designed to withstand digital threats. However, as digital transformation accelerates, more of these systems are being connected to IT networks, expanding the attack surface. This legacy OT infrastructure often lacks modern security features, making it an easy entry point for attackers, who can then move deeper into the company’s network, compromising operations, supply chains, and even food safety. [5]

Steps to increase your cybersecurity resilience

✔️ Make cybersecurity a leadership priority: Cybersecurity is no longer just an issue for the IT department. Under NIS2, business leaders are directly accountable for ensuring their organization meets cybersecurity standards. This starts with assessing the company’s threat landscape and risk appetite, then allocating the necessary resources to close security gaps and increase cyber resilience over time.

✔️ Gain real-time visibility over IT and OT networks: The best defense is stopping attackers before they gain a foothold. Prevention is important, but so is continuous monitoring and threat detection allow you to identify suspicious activity early and act before any damage is done. Without this visibility, cyber threats can remain undetected until it’s too late.

✔️ Hope for the best, plan for the worst: Even the strongest defenses can fail, which is why organizations need clear, well-documented incident response and crisis management plans that define roles and responsibilities when an attack occurs. But documentation alone isn’t enough - regular practice is essential. Tabletop exercises and crisis simulations help teams build confidence, identify weaknesses, and ensure they can respond effectively under pressure during a real incident.

✔️ Ensure forensic readiness: When a building is broken into, the police examine how the intruder gained access, which rooms they entered, and whether anything was stolen or damaged. The same applies to digital breaches - cybersecurity specialists conduct a thorough forensic analysis to determine how the incident happened, what systems are affected, whether the attacker still has access, and how future breaches can be prevented. However, this process is only possible if the right log files and forensic data are available. Business leaders should work closely with security and IT teams to ensure critical system logs and relevant security telemetry are continuously collected and securely stored. This is even more important under NIS2, which requires organizations to perform a root cause analysis after a breach. Without proper forensic readiness, companies risk being unable to meet regulatory obligations.

✔️ Secure the supply chain: To gain control over your ICT supply chain, start by assessing the security practices of the vendors, suppliers, and logistics partners in your network. Then, seek to enforce baseline security requirements as part of any service level agreements between you and your suppliers. Finally, it is crucial to limit supplier access to critical systems, granting access in a controlled manner and only when it is strictly necessary.

Conclusion

Cyber threats to agriculture are not a distant concern - they are already here. From ransomware attacks to state-sponsored espionage, the risks are growing, and so are the consequences. As cybercriminals and nation-state actors become more sophisticated, organizations that fail to prioritize cybersecurity risk financial losses, operational disruptions, and regulatory penalties under NIS2.

But cybersecurity isn’t just about avoiding risk - it’s about ensuring business continuity, protecting innovation, and maintaining a competitive edge in a sector that is critical to global food security. Executives who take a proactive approach, by embedding cybersecurity into business strategy, financial planning, and operational risk management, will be the ones who stay ahead.

For a deeper dive into past incidents, emerging trends, and to explore our exclusive threat mapping tool tailored to the agriculture sector, join our Members' Portal to access the full threat landscape. Already a member? Read it with the link below.

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