An Overview of Vulnerabilities in Smart Farming Systems

Novel methods of food production are required to feed an ever-growing world population. The emergence of Internet of Things (IoT) technology has had an impact on a wide variety of industries. The use of IoT devices in agriculture, known as smart farming, is a potential solution to the growing food crisis. This technology has been shown to greatly increase farm yield while simultaneously reducing the number of farm-related injuries in agricultural workers. However, a major drawback of IoT systems is their vulnerability to cyberattacks. Man in the Middle attacks, Denial of Service attacks, and Phishing attacks among others have all been shown to be effective avenues to attack IoT systems. This paper will provide an overview of smart farming, IoT devices used on smart farms, and potential vulnerabilities present in these systems. In addition, it will also provide mitigation techniques to prevent cyberattacks on smart farms. More targeted research and penetration testing is needed to identify approaches to improving the cybersecurity of smart farming and associated technologies.