Dr. Ali Dehghantanha Says Canadian Farms Must Prep for Cyberattacks

In some industries, a cybersecurity professional has about an hour to prevent significant business damage. Farmers, however, might have just 15 minutes, the U of G professor and Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity and Threat Intelligence has learned.

“”We found if we are not responding within that time,” he says, “hackers could cause a power outage in the farm, which could cause livestock to die.”

At U of G's Cyber Science Lab, At the CSL, a six-year graduate training program known as SECURE-AGRO funded by an NSERC CREATE grant is preparing the next generation of highly qualified personnel who understand both cybersecurity and agri-food. Trainees are paired with mentors, answer calls, attend hackathons and work on research projects ranging from AI security to deepfake forensics.

Read the story on U of G News: Canadian Farms Must Prep For Cyberattacks