PULLMAN, Wash. — The threat of cyberattacks against American agriculture and food systems is growing, and Washington State University researchers are helping to lead a call for a national consortium of land-grant universities to study and combat the threat.
The recommendation from researchers across the country, published in Nature Food , follows three regionally coordinated workshops and follow-up sessions involving more than 150 stakeholders and participants. The co-authors — including four WSU researchers — urged the creation of a national, geographically distributed Agriculture Cybersecurity Consortium (ACC) based on strong partnerships with farms, cooperatives, agribusiness, cybersecurity businesses, government, NGOs and academia.
“With increased digitization of agricultural data and increased adoption of AI into daily workflows, it has become all the more important to provide cybersecurity guarantees in agriculture,” said Ananth Kalyanaraman, professor and director of the WSU School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science, as well as the director of the AgAID AI Institute for Transforming Workforce & Decision Support.
Monowar Hasan, an assistant professor in the EECS school whose Cyber-Physical Systems Security Research Lab focuses on cybersecurity, said that the workshops revealed that many people underestimate the cybersecurity risks in agriculture.
“In our discussions with ag-tech vendors, growers, and state agencies, we noted a lack of clear understanding of cybersecurity vulnerabilities and a lack of platforms and tools to conduct vulnerability assessments in digital agricultural systems,” Hasan said.
“This is primarily due to misconceptions about cyber threats and adversarial capabilities among agricultural stakeholders. Our collaborative interdisciplinary ag-cybersecurity consortium will help bridge this gap and improve the cybersecurity posture of the critical agricultural sector, which also has national security implications.”
The effort was coordinated by Iowa State University, and included researchers from WSU, the University of California-Davis, Virginia Tech University, North Carolina A&T University, and IC-FOODS, an independent organization that connects food data through shared definitions and standards.
Their recommendation calls for the formation of ACC focused on three pillars: multidisciplinary research and development; research infrastructures and testbeds; and educational programs and workforce development.
Multidisciplinary Research and Development:
Key priorities could include:
- Using AI and other emerging technologies to detect, prevent, and respond to cyberattacks;
- Creating simpler, more efficient ways to verify users and devices;
- Finding security flaws and building safeguards into equipment and software;
- Developing realistic farm testing environments to assess risks and understand attackers’ capabilities;
- Exploring shared digital records that make unauthorized changes easier to detect; and
- Sharing cybersecurity best practices and identifying investments that reduce risk.
Land-grant and other research universities would conduct much of this work with support from federal and state government agencies, alongside additional industry research.
Research Infrastructures and Testbeds: The ACC could bring university researchers, industry experts, and other partners together to test cybersecurity solutions using real-world agricultural equipment and environments. Expanding these facilities would support research, hands-on training for students and professionals, public demonstrations, and evidence-based policies and standards. Land-grant universities, U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Agricultural Research Service (ARS) facilities, regional irrigation districts, and industry groups could develop and operate these sites with government support and possibly industry partnerships.
Education and Workforce Development: The ACC would provide the foundation for cybersecurity as an everyday practice in food and agriculture through education and training for students, working professionals, and outside service providers. Extension educators could deliver practical, farm-focused instruction on protecting equipment and networks. Hands-on exercises could help participants practice responding to cyberattacks while keeping operations running. The ACC would share training materials and threat information across regions, building on existing university partnerships with industry and government. These efforts would require federal-level funding support.
WSU would bring a wide-ranging foundation of research expertise in agriculture, AI and robotics, and cybersecurity to such an effort, in addition to training the next generation of workers in the field through programs such as the bachelor of science in cybersecurity.
“WSU is strongly positioned to contribute to the workforce training aspects of this effort,” Assefaw Gebremedhin, Berry Family Distinguished Associate Professor in the School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science. “The WSU-led VICEROY Institute for Cybersecurity Education and Research (CySER) has excellent vehicles to support experiential learning around a variety of topics highly relevant to ag cybersecurity, including cyber-physical systems and critical infrastructure security.”
The issue has particular relevance in the state of Washington, where agriculture is a multibillion-dollar industry producing more than 300 crops.“Washington is a leading producer of high-value agricultural commodities that play a critical role in national food security. As growers face persistent labor shortages and rising input costs, they are increasingly seeking smart, cybersecure agricultural technologies to improve efficiency, productivity, and resilience” said Lav Khot,professor in the Department of Biological Systems Engineering and director of AgWeatherNet, who was the other WSU co-author on the article.
“Existing and emerging agricultural machine systems (e.g., autonomous tractors, spray drones, irrigation controllers) and regional infrastructure (e.g., weather sensing networks and regional water distribution system) remain vulnerable to cyber threats, underscoring the need for stronger and more coordinated cybersecurity efforts across the agricultural ecosystem. This consortium provides a critical framework for aligning stakeholders and accelerating the development, education, and adoption of secure and resilient agricultural technologies.”
The consensus of workshop participants was that the ACC should be structured to connect five regional centers through a national coordinating hub. Each center would work with local partners to conduct research, develop testing facilities, and provide education and workforce training tailored to regional needs. This structure builds on models used successfully by the National Plant Diagnostic Network and USDA Climate Hubs.
Creating and sustaining the ACC will require significant federal- and state-level funding and the support of a robust public-private partnership. While some might find the cost of such an effort daunting, the researchers said, the cost of doing nothing will be even more substantial.
Media Contacts
- Monowar Hasan, WSU School of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science, monowar.hasan@wsu.edu
- Shawn Vestal, WSU News & Media Relations, shawn.vestal@wsu.edu
