Be vigilant as cyber attacks on the rise
THE National Farmers’ Union (NFU) has partnered with the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) to produce an online booklet to support farmers in preventing and reporting cybercrime.
Cyber security can often appear to be a complex daunting subject, but the membership organisation says prevention plays an important role in tackling the crime.
The NFU hopes the booklet, titled ‘Cyber Security for Farmers: Practical Tips on How to Stay Safe’, will provide farmers with step-by-step guidance which can easily be implemented to build towards better resilience against cyber criminals, and reduce the chances of being a target.
Stuart Roberts, deputy president of the NFU, said this is a “particularly vulnerable time of the year” where farmers should be extra careful of any suspicious calls, texts or emails.
It comes as the 2020 Basic Payment
Scheme (BPS) payment window opened for recipients on December 2, with the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) paying out around £1.671 billion to farmers on that first day.
Mr Roberts, an arable and livestock farmer from Hertfordshire, urged NFU members to read the booklet and be vigilant of fraud and cyber attacks.
He added: “Rural crime is a huge issue for farm businesses and we rightly look to protect our farm buildings, machinery and our livestock. However, we all live and work in a digital world and we must be conscious of the threats this can bring to our businesses.
“It’s incredibly important that all farmers take this seriously, which is why we’ve teamed up with the experts in the National Cyber Security Centre to help produce this guidance.
“I would urge all farmers to read this advice and take the necessary steps to reinforce their cyber security and protect their farm business.”
According to the NFU and NCSC, cyber attacks are on the rise and can be financially devastating, disrupting and upsetting to both individuals and businesses.
Cyber criminals aim to exploit human or security vulnerabilities in order to steal passwords, data or money directly, and the agricultural sector is no exception.
Almost half (46%) of businesses identified cyber security breaches or attacks in the past 12 months. “This criminal trend is an ongoing threat to businesses of all natures and sizes, it is not just the larger organisations who need to invest in cyber security,” Mr Roberts continued.
You can report suspicious emails to NCSC’s Suspicious Email Reporting Service, SERS, at report@phishing.gov. uk. Suspicious text messages should be forwarded to 7726 - which is free of charge. Alternatively, you can report anonymously to the NFU’s Rural Crime Hotline, powered by Crimestoppers, by visiting forms. theiline.co.uk/ruralcrimehotline or calling 0800 555 111.