Securing What Feeds Us: Cybersecurity in Food and Agriculture

Praise for Securing What Feeds Us “There are few topics more personal and life impacting than the food we eat. Each day, multiple times a day, we consume food products generally produced by others, often from hundreds or thousands of miles away. In this book, Kristin King sheds new light on the process and potential peril of how food is produced and delivered around the globe. The reader will be left empowered and informed about choices that they can make to reduce food-related risk for themselves, their families and communities.” —DAVID BATZ, Security and Technology Advisor “When most people see produce in the grocery store, they picture a farmer in overalls standing next to a tractor. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Today’s agriculture is connected by technology from the farms that grow our produce to the logistics that keep it fresh to the stores where it’s bought by consumers. In this book, Kristin is addressing one of the most critical (and underserved) areas of cybersecurity: ensuring that the technology that literally feeds us is secure. There are few areas of cybersecurity that are more important to our everyday lives. I can live without social media, but I need to eat.” —JAKE WILLIAMS, Faculty Analyst at IANS Research “Securing the systems that feed us is not a niche concern. It is critical infrastructure protection, and Kristin King is one of the very few people doing this work with the depth and seriousness it deserves. This book belongs on the shelf of every food sector executive, every OT security practitioner, and every policymaker who has not yet connected the dots.” —PATRICK MILLER, CEO at Ampyx Cyber “Kristin King has brought light to one of the most ignored high-tech industries: how our food is grown and then transported to our grocery stores and tables. She has done more than anyone to bridge the divide between the agricultural and the cybersecurity communities.” —BRANDON WORKENTIN, Consultant at Enaxy, LLC Cybersecurity strategies for food and agriculture critical infrastructure operations Securing What Feeds Us: Cybersecurity in Food and Agriculture is the first book dedicated to cybersecurity threats facing the food and agriculture sector. Written by Kristin King, founder of AnzenSage, with over two decades spanning IT, OT/ICS, and cybersecurity, this book addresses insider sabotage, ransomware attacks on supply chains, and nation-state threats targeting production operations across farming, processing, transportation, and retail. Cyber incidents in food and agriculture carry consequences that extend beyond data loss to food safety, public health, environmental impact, and supply continuity. The book covers cyber-physical systems security across the full food supply chain, from ag-tech and animal feed to distribution networks and retail operations. It connects food system vulnerabilities to interdependent critical infrastructure including water, energy, and logistics. Readers gain practical resilience strategies, real-world incident accounts from industry practitioners, and actionable steps for maintaining food safety and production continuity during cyber events — along with a deeper understanding of how the global food supply chain actually functions and where it is most vulnerable. Readers will also find: Coverage of OT and ICS security challenges specific to food processing plants and agricultural production environments Strategies for maintaining food safety, employee protection, and production continuity when cyber incidents disrupt operations Analysis of how cyberattacks on food systems cascade across water, energy, and logistics infrastructure Insights drawn from real practitioner experience and conversations across food and agriculture operations Frameworks for building cyber resilience tailored to the unique operational realities of the food sector Written for anyone seeking to understand how our modern food supply works and what keeps it secure. Designed for food and agriculture professionals—farmers, processing plant managers, supply chain operators, and executives—it delivers sector-specific cybersecurity strategies grounded in operational realities. Cybersecurity practitioners serving the food sector will also gain critical context for protecting OT/ICS environments across farming, processing, and distribution operations.