Protection of Food Safety from Cyberattacks

Investing in cybersecurity is essential to risk management processes to protect food companies from possible attacks.

As technology permeates all industries, the number of cyber-threats to these industries grows concurrently, and the food industry is no exception. Also, it's the production chain in the food industry that is extremely susceptible to cybercrime. Even though the food industry is not a target of costly cyberattacks like financial, healthcare, and other sectors, the attackers seek easier victims.

Food companies lack adequate knowledge of how their industrial control and IT systems interact. Furthermore, they lack awareness about cyber risks and threats, and it becomes important for food companies to begin protecting themselves.

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Similar to practices utilized to identify and address food-processing risks, such as pathogens and foreign materials, methods for protecting essential data for processing are the same. These practices comprise evaluating threats, assessing occurrence probability, and mitigating threats. The consequences of cyber-attacks are substantial, including financial losses, business interruption, and a lowering of reputation. The following ways can tackle the risk in food companies.

• Integrate cybersecurity tech into food safety and food defense culture

• Monitor and protect critical control points  

• Trail cyber policy to bridge the gap and facilitate more communication betwixt OT (operational technology), PR, legal experts, and IT (information technology) personnel to get control of the crisis as quickly as possible.

• Keep security zones to prevent threat migration

• Conduct risk assessments of inventory control systems and IT systems

• Conduct tests of risk points and the general environment regularly

• Ensure that staff with cybersecurity knowledge is concerned in procuring and deploying inventory control system devices

• Keep sensitive data isolated to minimize access points

• Shift from an on-premises system to a cloud-based food quality management system

CIOs of the food industry consider taking the above "critical" steps by investing in cyber-coverage as a part of your risk management process is vital as it is everywhere these days.