When cyberthreats meet the farm: Protecting OT in food and agriculture

The systems that grow, process and deliver our food operate in a world most of us never see: legacy equipment, air-gapped networks and decades-old operating systems quietly controlling the machinery that keeps supply chains moving. What happens when modern cyber threats collide with this aging infrastructure? The answer is more urgent than most people realize. 

In the latest episode of the Bites and Bytes podcast, host Kristen King sits down with James Slaby, Director of OT Solutions at Acronis, to explore the invisible systems behind food and agriculture and the very real risks threatening them. With over two decades of analyzing cybersecurity, networking and industrial technologies, Slaby brings insights to an industry facing a critical turning point. 

Instead of being met with the traditional challenge of convincing skeptical enterprises that cloud computing was safe, Slaby faced a whole new obstacle: Helping critical infrastructure sectors understand that OT environments demand the same rigorous cyber protection as traditional IT systems. 

There lies the problem. In OT, patching isn't as simple as updating your laptop. These systems control physical processes like pasteurizers, cold storage and packaging lines. A single software glitch doesn't just crash a screen. It halts production, compromises food safety or endangers lives. 

High-profile attacks on agricultural companies brought agricultural cybersecurity into public view. King and Slaby dig into a more troubling reality: The countless unreported incidents affecting small and medium-sized operations. 

Consider the landscape: 

• Farms operating without dedicated IT teams. 

• Processing facilities running equipment that predates modern security standards. 

• Agricultural technology deployed without security-by-design principles. 

• Cold storage operations with decades-old control systems. 

The episode doesn't shy away from uncomfortable truths. Nation-state actors are actively targeting agricultural operations. Ransomware groups are hitting dairy operations. When cyber incidents intersect with the physical world, the consequences extend far beyond data loss. 

Slaby addresses the shift directly: "We're starting to see really ominous shifts in the threat environment where critical infrastructure, which agriculture is now considered a part of by cybersecurity standards, bodies and national governments is increasingly becoming targeted." 

This isn't theoretical. It's happening now, and the frequency is accelerating.

Rather than dwelling on doom scenarios, Slaby and King tackle critical questions:  

• How do organizations protect themselves when air-gapping is no longer foolproof? 

• What does integrated cyber protection look like in OT environments? 

The discussion explores solutions ranging from fully premise-based deployments for air-gapped environments to hybrid approaches that balance security with operational visibility. The key is flexibility without compromising protection. 

The systems that feed the world weren't designed for today's threat landscape. But waiting for a complete infrastructure overhaul isn't an option. Organizations need solutions that work with existing equipment while providing modern protection. 

Listen to the complete episode of Bytes and Bites and discover why protecting agricultural OT systems has become one of the most critical challenges in cybersecurity today.