{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,18]],"date-time":"2026-03-18T03:34:12Z","timestamp":1773804852280,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":60,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]],"date-time":"2025-04-16T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1744761600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100000038","name":"Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100000038","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Big Data"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The rapid digital transformation of dairy and poultry farming through big data analytics and Internet of Things (IoT) innovations has significantly advanced precision management of feeding, animal health, and environmental conditions. However, this digitization has simultaneously escalated cybersecurity vulnerabilities, presenting serious threats to economic stability, animal welfare, and food safety. This paper provides an in-depth analysis of the evolving cyber threat landscape confronting digital livestock farming, examining ransomware incidents, hacktivist interference, and state-sponsored cyber intrusions. It critically assesses how compromised digital systems disrupt critical farm operations, including milking routines, feed formulations, and climate control, profoundly impacting animal health, productivity, and consumer trust. Responding to these challenges, we present a comprehensive cybersecurity roadmap that integrates established IT security practices with agriculture-specific requirements. The roadmap emphasizes advanced solutions, such as AI-driven anomaly detection, blockchain-based traceability, and integrated cybersecurity-biosecurity frameworks, tailored explicitly to safeguard livestock farming. Additionally, we highlight human-centric elements such as targeted workforce education, rural cybersecurity capacity building, and robust cross-sector collaboration as indispensable components of a resilient cybersecurity ecosystem. By synthesizing technical advancements, regulatory perspectives, and socio-economic insights, the paper proposes a proactive strategy to enhance data integrity, secure animal welfare, and reinforce food supply chains. Ultimately, we underscore that effective cybersecurity is not merely a technical consideration but foundational to ensuring the sustainable, ethical, and trustworthy advancement of livestock agriculture in a data-driven world.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3389\/fdata.2025.1556157","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]],"date-time":"2025-04-16T05:25:46Z","timestamp":1744781146000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Safeguarding digital livestock farming - a comprehensive cybersecurity roadmap for dairy and poultry industries"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"8","author":[{"given":"Suresh","family":"Neethirajan","sequence":"first","affiliation":[]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]]},"reference":[{"key":"B1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"200216","DOI":"10.1016\/j.iswa.2023.200216","article-title":"Secure edge computing vulnerabilities in smart cities sustainability using petri net and genetic algorithm-based reinforcement learning","volume":"18","author":"Ajao","year":"2023","journal-title":"Intell. Syst. Appl."},{"key":"B2","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"109401","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compag.2024.109401","article-title":"Cyber security in smart agriculture: threat types, current status, and future trends","volume":"226","author":"Alahe","year":"2024","journal-title":"Comput. Electron. Agric."},{"key":"B3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"3520","DOI":"10.3390\/s22093520","article-title":"Cyber-security threats and side-channel attacks for digital agriculture","volume":"22","author":"Alahmadi","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"key":"B4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"476","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cose.2009.01.003","article-title":"The information security digital divide","volume":"29","author":"Albrechtsen","year":"2010","journal-title":"Comput. Secur."},{"key":"B5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2","DOI":"10.1007\/s44187-023-00071-7","article-title":"Cybersecurity 4.0: safeguarding trust and production in the digital food industry era","volume":"4","author":"Alqudhaibi","year":"2024","journal-title":"Discover Food"},{"key":"B6","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"2825","DOI":"10.3390\/ani13182825","article-title":"Assessment of ruminating, eating, and locomotion behavior during heat stress in dairy cattle by using advanced technological monitoring","volume":"13","author":"Antanaitis","year":"2023","journal-title":"Animals"},{"key":"B7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"105","DOI":"10.1108\/OCJ-02-2024-0006","article-title":"Got milk? Got cybersecurity risks! Unraveling ransomware threats in the German dairy industry","volume":"4","author":"Anton","year":"2024","journal-title":"Organ. Cybersecur. J. Pract. Process People"},{"key":"B8","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1333","DOI":"10.3390\/electronics12061333","article-title":"A comprehensive review of cyber security vulnerabilities, threats, attacks, and solutions","volume":"12","author":"Aslan","year":"2023","journal-title":"Electronics"},{"key":"B9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"405","DOI":"10.48550\/arXiv.1901.02672","article-title":"Cybersecurity awareness campaigns: why do they fail?","volume":"13","author":"Bada","year":"2019","journal-title":"Int. J. Cyber Criminol."},{"key":"B10","first-page":"237","article-title":"\u201cCybersecurity challenges and solutions in IoT-based precision farming systems,\u201d","volume-title":"2023 IEEE 14th Annual Ubiquitous Computing, Electronics and Mobile Communication Conference (UEMCON)","author":"Balaji","year":"2023"},{"key":"B11","volume-title":"Potential Implications and Benefits for the Agricultural Technology Sector from the Introduction of the Australian Agricultural Data Exchange","author":"Bewong","year":"2023"},{"key":"B12","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"87","DOI":"10.1007\/978-981-19-1746-2_4","article-title":"\u201cSmart and automatic milking systems: benefits and prospects,\u201d","volume-title":"Smart and Sustainable Food Technologies","author":"Bhoj","year":"2022"},{"key":"B13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/1-4020-3984-0","author":"Bingen","year":"2006","journal-title":"Agricultural Standards"},{"key":"B14","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"252","DOI":"10.1109\/AIIoT61789.2024.10579017","article-title":"\u201cAgriculture 5.0 cybersecurity: monitoring agricultural cyber threats with digital twin technology,\u201d","volume-title":"2024 IEEE World AI IoT Congress (AIIoT)","author":"Bissadu","year":"2024"},{"key":"B15","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"887","DOI":"10.1002\/jsfa.11533","article-title":"Food system resilience thinking: from digital to integral","volume":"102","author":"Brassesco","year":"2022","journal-title":"J. Sci. Food Agric."},{"key":"B16","volume-title":"Practical IoT Hacking: The Definitive Guide to Attacking the Internet of Things","author":"Chantzis","year":"2021"},{"key":"B17","unstructured":"Cyber-biosecurity; a paradigm shift in the field of life sciences and agriculture sector\n          \n          58\n          75\n          \n            \n              Cinar\n              B.\n            \n            \n              Thomas\n              R. K.\n            \n          \n          Asian J. Biotechnol. Genetic Eng.\n          6\n          2023"},{"key":"B18","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102760","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cose.2022.102760","article-title":"Reducing ransomware crime: analysis of victims' payment decisions","volume":"119","author":"Connolly","year":"2022","journal-title":"Comput. Secur."},{"key":"B19","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"941","DOI":"10.1007\/s00779-021-01569-6","article-title":"The social and cultural shaping of cybersecurity capacity building: a comparative study of nations and regions","volume":"25","author":"Creese","year":"2021","journal-title":"Pers. Ubiquitous Comput."},{"key":"B20","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.4018\/979-8-3693-0900-1","volume-title":"Emerging Trends in Cloud Computing Analytics, Scalability, and Service Models","author":"Darwish","year":"2024"},{"key":"B21","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"737927","DOI":"10.3389\/fbioe.2021.737927","article-title":"Assessing the role of cyberbiosecurity in agriculture: a case study","volume":"9","author":"Drape","year":"2021","journal-title":"Front. Bioeng. Biotechnol."},{"key":"B22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"741","DOI":"10.1007\/s10806-017-9704-5","article-title":"Managing socio-ethical challenges in the development of smart farming: from a fragmented to a comprehensive approach for responsible research and innovation","volume":"32","author":"Eastwood","year":"2019","journal-title":"J. Agric. Environ. Ethics"},{"key":"B23","first-page":"2767","article-title":"Scientific opinion on animal-based indicators","volume":"10","year":"2012","journal-title":"EFSA J."},{"key":"B24","volume-title":"Securing Smart Agriculture","year":"2021"},{"key":"B25","volume-title":"The Future of Food and Agriculture - Trends and Challenges","year":"2017"},{"key":"B26","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"109892","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compeleceng.2024.109892","article-title":"Farm-flow dataset: intrusion detection in smart agriculture based on network flows","volume":"121","author":"Ferreira","year":"2025","journal-title":"Comput. Electr. Eng."},{"key":"B27","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100255","DOI":"10.1016\/j.atech.2023.100255","article-title":"A concept for application of integrated digital technologies to enhance future smart agricultural systems","volume":"5","author":"Gebresenbet","year":"2023","journal-title":"Smart Agric. Technol."},{"key":"B28","first-page":"457","article-title":"Access denied: the dangers of ransomware's unchecked attack on the agriculture industry","volume":"27","author":"Hartley","year":"2022","journal-title":"Drake J.f Agric. Law"},{"key":"B29","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"884187","DOI":"10.3389\/fsufs.2022.884187","article-title":"On-farm data security: practical recommendations for securing farm data","volume":"6","author":"Hazrati","year":"2022","journal-title":"Front. Sustainable Food Syst."},{"key":"B30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"5","DOI":"10.1111\/ablj.12238","article-title":"Cybersecurity carrots and sticks","volume":"61","author":"Hiller","year":"2024","journal-title":"Am. Bus. Law J."},{"key":"B31","author":"Jariwala","year":"2023","journal-title":"The Cyber Security Roadmap: A Comprehensive Guide to Cyber Threats, Cyber Laws, and Cyber Security Training for a Safer Digital World"},{"key":"B32","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"129","DOI":"10.60087\/jaigs.v2i1.102","article-title":"Cyber security vulnerabilities and remediation through cloud security tools","volume":"2","author":"Jimmy","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Artif. Intell. Gen. Sci."},{"key":"B33","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"9","DOI":"10.1186\/s40537-023-00852-y","article-title":"Blockchain meets machine learning: a survey","volume":"11","author":"Kayikci","year":"2024","journal-title":"J. Big Data"},{"key":"B34","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"101033","DOI":"10.1016\/j.seps.2021.101033","article-title":"Disruption in food supply chain and undernourishment challenges: an empirical study in the context of Asian countries","volume":"82","author":"Khan","year":"2022","journal-title":"Socio-Econ. Plann. Sci."},{"key":"B35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.48550\/arXiv.2403.08036","article-title":"A review of cybersecurity incidents in the food and agriculture sector","author":"Kulkarni","year":"2024","journal-title":"arXiv"},{"key":"B36","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103702","DOI":"10.1016\/j.compind.2022.103702","article-title":"Cybersecurity in the food and beverage industry: a reference framework","volume":"141","author":"Latino","year":"2022","journal-title":"Comput. Indus."},{"key":"B37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1216","DOI":"10.1080\/00207543.2020.1721591","article-title":"Cybersecurity investments in a two-echelon supply chain with third-party risk propagation","volume":"59","author":"Li","year":"2021","journal-title":"Int. J. Prod. Res."},{"key":"B38","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"247","DOI":"10.2139\/ssrn.3907373","article-title":"The case for banning (and mandating) ransomware insurance","volume":"28","author":"Logue","year":"2021","journal-title":"Conn. Ins. L. J"},{"key":"B39","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"110405","DOI":"10.1016\/j.envres.2020.110405","article-title":"Covid-19 pandemic in the lens of food safety and security","volume":"193","author":"Ma","year":"2021","journal-title":"Environ. Res."},{"key":"B40","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"536","DOI":"10.1016\/B978-0-12-819470-6.00001-9","article-title":"\u201cFood defense: types of threat, defense plans, and mitigation strategies,\u201d","volume-title":"Present Knowledge in Food Safety","author":"Manning","year":"2023"},{"key":"B41","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1201\/9781003254928","volume-title":"Controlling Privacy and the Use of Data Assets - Volume 2: What is the New World Currency - Data or Trust?","author":"Mattsson","year":"2023"},{"key":"B42","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"1","DOI":"10.1145\/3479393","article-title":"Ransomware mitigation in the modern era: a comprehensive review, research challenges, and future directions","volume":"54","author":"McIntosh","year":"2021","journal-title":"ACM Comput. Surv"},{"key":"B43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"162","DOI":"10.1080\/00207543.2021.1984606","article-title":"New challenges in supply chain management: cybersecurity across the supply chain","volume":"60","author":"Melnyk","year":"2022","journal-title":"Int. J. Prod. Res."},{"key":"B44","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"103533","DOI":"10.1016\/j.agsy.2022.103533","article-title":"An integrated socio-cyber-physical system framework to assess responsible digitalisation in agriculture: a first application with Living Labs in Europe","volume":"203","author":"Metta","year":"2022","journal-title":"Agric. Syst."},{"key":"B45","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"354","DOI":"10.5713\/ab.21.0034","article-title":"Precision feeding and precision nutrition: a paradigm shift in broiler feed formulation?","volume":"34","author":"Moss","year":"2021","journal-title":"Anim. Biosci."},{"key":"B46","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"436","DOI":"10.3390\/agriculture13020436","article-title":"SOLARIA-SensOr-driven resiLient and adaptive monitoRIng of farm animals","volume":"13","author":"Neethirajan","year":"","journal-title":"Agriculture"},{"key":"B47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7045","DOI":"10.3390\/s23167045","article-title":"Artificial intelligence and sensor technologies in dairy livestock export: charting a digital transformation","volume":"23","author":"Neethirajan","year":"","journal-title":"Sensors"},{"key":"B48","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"488","DOI":"10.3390\/agriengineering5010032","article-title":"The significance and ethics of digital livestock farming","volume":"5","author":"Neethirajan","year":"","journal-title":"AgriEngineering"},{"key":"B49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"100408","DOI":"10.1016\/j.sbsr.2021.100408","article-title":"Digital livestock farming","volume":"32","author":"Neethirajan","year":"2021","journal-title":"Sens. Bio-Sens. Res."},{"key":"B50","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"371","DOI":"10.1007\/s10111-021-00683-y","article-title":"Leveraging human factors in cybersecurity: an integrated methodological approach","volume":"24","author":"Pollini","year":"2022","journal-title":"Cogn. Technol. Work"},{"key":"B51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"10964","DOI":"10.3390\/su141710964","article-title":"Applying adaptive security techniques for risk analysis of internet of things (IoT)-based smart agriculture","volume":"14","author":"Riaz","year":"2022","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"B52","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"79","DOI":"10.1016\/j.jrurstud.2021.05.003","article-title":"Digital transformation of agriculture and rural areas: A socio-cyber-physical system framework to support responsibilisation","volume":"85","author":"Rijswijk","year":"2021","journal-title":"J. Rural Stud."},{"key":"B53","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"13746","DOI":"10.3390\/su151813746","article-title":"Towards trusted data sharing and exchange in agro-food supply chains: design principles for agricultural data spaces","volume":"15","author":"\u0160estak","year":"2023","journal-title":"Sustainability"},{"key":"B54","volume-title":"Introduction to Cyber Security: Guide to the World of Cyber Security","author":"Shinde","year":"2021"},{"key":"B55","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"154","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cose.2016.04.003","article-title":"Collective cyber defense","volume":"60","author":"Skopik","year":"2016","journal-title":"Comput. Secur."},{"key":"B56","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"1482","DOI":"10.1109\/SoutheastCon52093.2024.10500029","article-title":"\u201cExamining how targeted cyber attacks on critical supply chain networks can lead to economic collapse and civil unrest,\u201d","volume-title":"SoutheastCon 2024","author":"Squillace","year":"2024"},{"key":"B57","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"102536","DOI":"10.1016\/j.cose.2021.102536","article-title":"Traceability in supply chains: a cybersecurity analysis","volume":"112","author":"Syed","year":"2022","journal-title":"Comput. Secur."},{"key":"B58","first-page":"46","article-title":"\u201cThreat analysis in dairy farming 4.0,\u201d","volume-title":"European Symposium on Research in Computer Security","author":"Vatn","year":"2023"},{"key":"B59","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"11895","DOI":"10.1109\/ACCESS.2021.3051633","article-title":"Social engineering in cybersecurity: effect mechanisms, human vulnerabilities and attack methods","volume":"9","author":"Wang","year":"2021","journal-title":"IEEE Access"},{"key":"B60","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7518","DOI":"10.3390\/app11167518","article-title":"A review on security of smart farming and precision agriculture: security aspects, attacks, threats and countermeasures","volume":"11","author":"Yazdinejad","year":"2021","journal-title":"Appl. Sci."}],"container-title":["Frontiers in Big Data"],"original-title":[],"link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fdata.2025.1556157\/full","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]],"date-time":"2025-04-16T05:25:52Z","timestamp":1744781152000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.frontiersin.org\/articles\/10.3389\/fdata.2025.1556157\/full"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]]},"references-count":60,"alternative-id":["10.3389\/fdata.2025.1556157"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/fdata.2025.1556157","relation":{},"ISSN":["2624-909X"],"issn-type":[{"value":"2624-909X","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2025,4,16]]},"article-number":"1556157"}}