What can the industry do about cyberattacks?
While attending the recent International Fresh Produce Association’s Foodservice Conference, I visited with a produce professional in the tech space.
He said the issue of cybersecurity is a constant concern for the industry, with more incidents happening than is commonly known.
In response to that conversation, I put out a question to the LinkedIn Fresh Produce Industry Discussion Group, asking “What more could the produce/food industry do to prevent ransomware/cybersecurity attacks?”
Only a couple of comments so far, but they are top shelf:
- The industry needs to do a lot and we are mobilizing. At producesupply.org, 16 [information technology] professionals across 10 produce supply companies have been meeting for the last six months to develop a set of best practices based on the NIST Cybersecurity Framework. We want to help all produce suppliers in their journey to defend against cyberattack. We have developed the initial draft and are in the process of publishing content and developing our outreach plan.
- The attacks come in two main ways: [automated clearing house] fraud and ransomware. With ACH fraud, the company finance teams should put in strict controls to call suppliers on known phone numbers to confirm any change in ACH payments. With ransomware, there are multiple standards organizations should put in place, including: snapshot backups that aren't tied to active directory; [multifactor authentication] for email and remote access (Citrix, [virtual private network], etc.); patching servers; pay special attention to [open-source] vulnerabilities; and many other standards that should be implemented. We need to treat our networks like the business tool they are and ensure they are secure. Every company is an IT company at this point.
A poll question I put to the group on biotechnology is winding down, with mixed results.
Will biotech or genetically engineered fruits and vegetables be widely accepted in five years?
- Yes 24%
- No 45%
- Mostly but not universally 31%
Here are some comments:
- I see no indications that our society will coalesce on [genetically modified organism] issues. A growing faction appear to be embracing anti- or false science, based on fear and feelings. I think some/many will see value in GMO if the GMO property is communicated as valuable to them or to society as a whole. GMOs as a virus strategy should make sense to many and be embraced as an example.
- To provide food for an ever-growing world population and, at the same time, dealing with depleted soils, as well as changing weather patterns, to me means that, at some time, [genetically modified] plants/crops will have to be selected. Consider the protein market modern chickens are goliaths compared to chickens of 10 or 20 years ago. Hogs have gotten bigger, as well, but have low immune factors. Farmed seafood is fed a diet nothing like what wild-caught seafood would catch and eat. So, effectively, we are there now, whether we know it or not.
- The consuming public does not have the right information to know what 'genetically engineered' means or is. The different advocacy groups for either side are counterproductive in their effort to get votes. The ultimate goal of increasing fresh fruit and vegetable consumption is lost in the competitive space.
On the theme of biotechnology, stay tuned for a fascinating interview with the creators of a biotech purple tomato.
