American professor: Russian hackers will attack our farms!
Staff Writer |
An Auburn University professor is voicing concern over the potential dangers that state-sponsored Russian hacking poses to U.S. infrastructure, specifically agriculture and water supplies.
Article continues below
Amidst an abundance of Russian-related political controversy, Bob Norton, chair of the Auburn University Food System Institute’s Food and Water Defense Working Group, urges people to be aware of the real, tangible consequences that cyber warfare could have on everyday people, The AuburnPlainsman reported.
Norton’s worries stem from the possibilities that hacking from foreign entities could, in a complex process, harm multiple critical infrastructures due to their interconnectivity.
He described critical infrastructures as systems required to make a society survive and flourish, so it would include things like the food, water and electricity systems.
The food and agriculture sector is one of 16 critical infrastructures identified by the Department of Homeland Security.
“What we are concerned about is what are called cascading effects,†Norton said. “Cascading effects are where, for instance, one critical infrastructure is targeted, and then it causes a series of events that some of which may be anticipated and some of which may not, and it starts to affect other critical infrastructures.â€
For example, Norton explained how a disturbance in Alabama’s power grid could compromise the $4 billion poultry industry, which is one of the largest industries in Alabama. This would have a devastating effect on the economy as well as people’s livelihood.
“Cascading effect would be where an adversary like Russia would affect the power grid, which could in turn affect the water supply, which could in turn affect agriculture or the poultry industry itself. Or it doesn’t have to go that far a route. It could go directly from the power supply into the poultry industry.â€
Traditionally, agro-terrorism has dealt with inflicting dangerous pathogens on plants or animals that could have a widespread effect, such as the anthrax attacks in 2001. But, Norton said the definition is beginning to expand to include cyber-related attacks on agriculture.
“The whole idea of vigilance is extremely important,†Norton said. “This is not a problem that is just going to go away, so we’re going to be fighting these battles for a very, very long time.â€
Norton is a longtime consultant to the U.S. military and federal and state law enforcement agencies. He is also the editor of Bob Norton’s Food Defense Blog. ■