6 ways to protect your farm’s data

Safety protocols for technology on the farm deserve the same amount of attention as the safety protocols you have in place for operating farm machinery.

Information in this technology footprint is vast and growing. Private details, such as banking and financial information and employees’ personal details, are examples of digital farm data that are crucial to running your operation and are meant to be accessible to a select few. As the use of technology on the farm increases, the amount of information grows.
No single step or piece of technology is the answer to complete data protection.

Malicious software, called malware, can infiltrate your computer or smartphone through viruses or spyware, damaging files and stealing information. Sometimes, those behind the infiltration will lock owners out of the computer, encrypt files and hold access for ransom.

Cyber defence experts say farms, like many small and medium-sized businesses that use devices such as mobile phones and laptops for both personal and business purposes, can also be targets.

Here are some steps to take to increase your safety protocols, also known as cybersecurity, of your farm operation:

1. Be preventative

Safeguarding data on all farm devices starts with installing good protection software.

When installing an anti-virus and anti-malware program, make sure it’s the latest version and installed on all devices, including mobile phones. Update the program as new versions become available. As well, be sure the program includes protection against ransomware.

2. Guard access

Experts advise against granting staff too many privileges across various accounts. When full access is granted to all accounts across various devices, if one device becomes infected, the malware can assume privileges everywhere. To help with protection, set up various levels of access for employees instead.

3. Up your password plan

Shawna-Kay Thomas, Director of Corporate Communications at Gwin Communications, stresses the importance of strong passwords on farm tech tools.

“Information that you may not want to include in your password by itself is your date of birth, your address, your name, your child or children’s names – those types of information that are available to the public,” Thomas says.

She suggests using phrases, perhaps from a song, which is a harder code to crack. As well, use a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters throughout the phrase to strengthen the password.

4. Know the biggest threat

Email is one of the most common ways ransomware can infect a computer and encrypt data.

Don’t click on unknown links in emails and ensure your protection software scans incoming and outgoing email on each device. To detect a fake email, look for a sense of urgency or spelling errors.

5. Make copies

Regularly back up your files, whether to an external hard drive or to a secure, cloud-based storage system. Having a second set of farm data in case anything goes wrong with the original information is an excellent risk management strategy.

6. Layered protection

Experts say no single step or piece of technology is the answer to complete data protection. A combination of effective methods and procedures will help enhance security.

Recovery measures

When the worst has happened - a computer or device is infected, information is encrypted, and the perpetrator demands money to release data – experts advise against paying the ransom if possible.

There are key encryptors, or codes, available to try to decrypt your data first. Recovery may be possible with some forensic work by a professional technology company.

A professional technology company may also be able to help remove a virus from your computer or devices.

Article by: Craig Lester

Read next

Three strategies to minimize litigation risk

Legal agreements

Litigation can ruin a farm business, and, with incidents on the rise, agricultural lawyers say there are ways farmers can better protect themselves from legal action.