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Partnerships can open the door to cyberattacks

The chief information security officer for Cargill says partnerships between companies could open the door to cyberattacks.

During the Minnesota AgriGrowth Ag and Food Summit earlier this month, Jim O’Conner pointed out the attack surface expands as the level of connectivity increases.

“There’s data sharing between companies, there’s places where you may compete in one space, but you’re cooperating in another.”

He says people can be the weakest link, but can also be the strongest ally when facing a cybersecurity threat.

“So when you think about your training (and) awareness of really making it meaningful to people, we do the phishing tests and (tell them) if you click the wrong way you get immediate feedback to help (them) understand what happened and what to do about it in the future.”

Cargill is a global food and ag leader, employing 155,000 people in 70 countries throughout the world.