A cyberattack on a Swiss farmer’s milking robot has highlighted the vulnerabilities in modern agricultural technology, resulting in tragic consequences.
A Ransom of $10,000
The incident, which occurred several months ago but has only recently come to light, involved hackers demanding a ransom of 10,000 Swiss francs (approximately $10,700) to unlock the farmer’s automated milking system, according to Tag24.
Vital Bircher, a farmer from Hagendorn in the Canton of Zug, discovered the attack when he received a text message indicating that his milking robot was no longer transmitting data.
Initially, he thought it was a transmission error, but upon finding only a blank display on the robot, he contacted the manufacturer. The company informed him that the system had been hacked.
Could Have Been Saved
Despite the machine's inability to send data, it continued to function, which led Bircher to refuse to pay the ransom. This decision had devastating consequences. The robot provided crucial information about the timing of his cows’ pregnancies.
Without this data, Bircher was unaware of a cow’s expected calving date, leading to the death of both the calf and the mother cow, which had to be euthanized shortly after.
The financial impact was significant, with Bircher incurring costs for veterinary care and a replacement milking computer, totaling around $6,300.
Reflecting on the incident, Bircher expressed his belief that the cow and calf could have been saved had the attack not occurred. He has since committed to more frequent data backups to prevent future issues.
