Bill seeks cyber protections for food and agriculture | CyberScoop<\/title> <link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/farm-and-food-cybersecurity-act\/\"> <meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\"> <meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\"> <meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Bill seeks cyber protections for food and agriculture\"> <meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act aims to identify vulnerabilities in the sector through an annual exercise and regular threat assessments.\"> <meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/farm-and-food-cybersecurity-act\/\"> <meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"CyberScoop\"> <meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2024-01-25T17:00:00+00:00\"> <meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2024-01-25T02:41:05+00:00\"> <meta name=\"author\" content=\"mbracken\"> <meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\"> <meta name=\"twitter:image\" 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content<\/a> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-desktop\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p> <main id=\"main\" role=\"main\" tabindex=\"-1\"> <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--top ad--top-mobile\">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<section id=\"stickybar\" class=\"stickybar stickybar--newsletter js-stickybar\" readability=\"0.82\"> <button class=\"stickybar__close js-stickybar-close\" aria-controls=\"stickybar\"> <svg class=\"icon icon--close\" width=\"21\" height=\"22\" viewBox=\"0 0 21 22\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"m.822.518-.805.805L9.695 11 .017 20.678l.805.805 9.678-9.678 9.677 9.678.806-.805L11.305 11l9.678-9.677-.806-.805-9.677 9.677L.822.518Z\" fill=\"currentColor\" \/><\/svg> <span class=\"visually-hidden\">Close<\/span> <\/button> <\/section>\n<article class=\"single-article content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__container js-single-article-content\">\n<header class=\"single-article__header \" readability=\"23.922178988327\">\n<div class=\"single-article__header-content\" readability=\"29.590909090909\">\n<ul class=\"single-article__eyebrow\">\n<li class=\"single-article__category\"> <a class=\"single-article__category-link\" href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/news\/cybersecurity\/\"> <span>Cybersecurity<\/span> <\/a> <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> The Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act aims to identify vulnerabilities in the sector through an annual exercise and regular threat assessments. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__cover-wrap\">\n<figure class=\"single-article__cover\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" fetchpriority=\"high\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/bill-seeks-cyber-protections-for-food-and-agriculture.jpg?resize=640%2C480&ssl=1\" class=\"single-article__cover-image wp-post-image\" alt decoding=\"async\" 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https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/bill-seeks-cyber-protections-for-food-and-agriculture-2.jpg?resize=224,168 224w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/bill-seeks-cyber-protections-for-food-and-agriculture-2.jpg?resize=450,337 450w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/bill-seeks-cyber-protections-for-food-and-agriculture-2.jpg?resize=900,675 900w, https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/bill-seeks-cyber-protections-for-food-and-agriculture-2.jpg?resize=1125,843 1125w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\"><figcaption> (Getty Images) <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"single-article__content\">\n<div class=\"single-article__content-inner has-drop-cap\"> <html readability=\"36.760269203992\"><body readability=\"76.36863823934\"><\/p>\n<p>Bipartisan, bicameral legislation released Thursday would bolster cybersecurity protections in the food and agriculture industry, in a bid to improve the resilience of the U.S. food supply after a 2021 ransomware incident that disrupted the availability of meat to U.S. consumers. <\/p>\n<p>Introduced by Reps. Brad Finstad, R-Minn., and Elissa Slotkin, D-Mich., and Sens. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., and Kirsten Gillibrand, D-N.Y., the <a href=\"https:\/\/finstad.house.gov\/_cache\/files\/0\/0\/00337ccb-eb5c-4d29-9e4d-0440144ccc2e\/E8100F7F57CC9E77F1FEBC7FD003B890.2024.1.22---farm-and-food-cybersecurity-act-bill-text---finstad.pdf\">Farm and Food Cybersecurity Act<\/a> calls on the agriculture secretary to study cybersecurity threats and vulnerabilities in the food and agriculture sectors every two years and deliver a report on the findings to Congress. <\/p>\n<p>The bill also would task the secretaries of agriculture, homeland security and health and human services to team with the director of national intelligence in holding a yearly cross-sector exercise on how to handle food-related cyber disruptions and emergencies.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFood and farm security is national security,\u201d Finstad said in a statement. \u201cWith growing threats at home and abroad, it is increasingly important that we ensure our nation\u2019s agriculture sector and food supply chain remain secure.\u201d<\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>This legislation, Finstad added, \u201cwill provide us with a greater understanding of the susceptibility of our country\u2019s food supply to cyberattacks, and more importantly, help us prevent these attacks from occurring in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As an example of what the legislation aims to mitigate, Slotkin pointed to the <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/meatpacking-hack-jbs-ransomware-australia\/\">2021 ransomware attack on the Brazil-headquartered meat-packing giant JBS<\/a>, which disrupted operations at the company\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/jbs-meat-plant-ransomware-recovery\/\">facilities in Colorado, Canada and Australia<\/a>. JBS later said that it paid an $11 million ransom to the hackers \u2014 more than <a href=\"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/jbs-ransom-11-million-cybercrime\/\">double the amount<\/a> sent to those who attacked Colonial Pipeline earlier that summer.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFood security is national security, so it\u2019s critical that American agriculture is protected from cyber threats,\u201d Slotkin said in a statement. \u201cNo longer just some tech issue, cyber attacks have the potential to upend folks\u2019 daily lives and threaten our food supply. \u2026 This legislation will require the Department of Agriculture to work closely with our national security agencies to ensure that adversaries like China can\u2019t threaten our ability to feed ourselves by ourselves.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The annual exercise called for in the legislation is intended to boost coordination and information-sharing among affected food and agriculture stakeholders, in addition to assessing the preparedness and response capabilities of state, local and tribal governments and private-sector teams.<\/p>\n<p>The test would \u201cinvolve a realistic and plausible scenario that simulates a food-related emergency or disruption affecting multiple sectors and jurisdictions,\u201d pulling cyber defense input from experts in various critical infrastructure sectors. <\/p>\n<div class=\"ad ad--inline_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cAmerica\u2019s adversaries are seeking to gain any advantage they can against us \u2014 including targeting critical industries like agriculture,\u201d Cotton said in a statement. \u201cCongress must work with the Department of Agriculture to identify and defeat these cybersecurity vulnerabilities. This legislation will ensure we are prepared to protect the supply chains our farmers and all Americans rely on.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>The bill is backed by several agricultural trade groups, including the American Farm Bureau Federation, the National Cattlemen\u2019s Beef Association and the Agricultural Retailers Association, as well as the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, which called the legislation \u201ca productive step\u201d toward enhancing security and resilience in the country\u2019s food industry. <\/p>\n<p><\/body> <\/p>\n<footer class=\"single-article__footer\" readability=\"3.6329866270431\">\n<div class=\"author-card\" readability=\"15\">\n<div class=\"author-card__avatar\">\n<figure class=\"author-card__image-wrap\"> <img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"author-card__image\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/ddi.mohflo.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/01\/bill-seeks-cyber-protections-for-food-and-agriculture-1.jpg?w=640&ssl=1\" alt=\"Matt Bracken\"> <\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><h4 class=\"author-card__name\">Written by Matt Bracken<\/h4>\n<p> Matt Bracken is the managing editor of FedScoop and CyberScoop, overseeing coverage of federal government technology policy and cybersecurity. Before joining Scoop News Group in 2023, Matt was a senior editor at Morning Consult, leading data-driven coverage of tech, finance, health and energy. He previously worked in various editorial roles at The Baltimore Sun and the Arizona Daily Star. You can reach him at matt.bracken@scoopnewsgroup.com. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__tags-container\">\n<h4 class=\"single-article__tags-title\">In This Story<\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/footer>\n<p> <\/html><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"single-article__ads js-single-article-sidebar\">\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-5 ad--rightrail_1 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-4 ad--rightrail_2 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"ad ad--sidebar js-single-article-sidebar-3 ad--rightrail_3 \">\n<div class=\"ad__inner\"> <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Advertisement<\/span> <\/div>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/article>\n<div class=\"popular-stories popular-stories--single-post\">\n<div class=\"popular-stories__container\">\n<h2 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{"id":2428,"date":"2024-01-25T17:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-01-25T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyberscoop.com\/?p=78901"},"modified":"2024-01-25T17:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-01-25T17:00:00","slug":"bill-seeks-cyber-protections-for-food-and-agriculture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ddi.mohflo.net\/index.php\/2024\/01\/25\/bill-seeks-cyber-protections-for-food-and-agriculture\/","title":{"rendered":"Bill seeks cyber protections for food and agriculture"},"content":{"rendered":"