Cyberattack Strikes Swiss Dairy Farmer, Resulting in Fatal Consequences

Small farmers are increasingly becoming targets of cyberattacks, as evidenced by the recent ordeal of Vital Bircher, a farmer in Hagendorn, Switzerland. Nestled between Zurich and Lucerne, Bircher’s computer systems, connected to his dairy farm’s milking robots, fell victim to a malicious attack, leading to a devastating outcome.

The Luzerner Zeitung first broke the news of this tragic incident.

Initially, Bircher suspected a technical glitch when he stopped receiving crucial milking data. However, he soon learned from his milking system provider that his systems had been compromised by hackers. The attack involved ransomware, encrypting Bircher’s data and demanding $10,000 for decryption.

Urgent Situation: Missing Data Leads to Fatal Outcome

Faced with the decision of whether to comply with the hackers’ demands, Bircher hesitated. While the loss of milk production data may not have posed an immediate threat to the farmer, the repercussions proved dire. Located on the northern shores of Lake Zug, Bircher’s dairy farm relied on the milking robots for its operations.

Tragically, before a resolution could be reached, one of Bircher’s cows succumbed to the disruptions caused by the cyberattack. The incident serves as a stark reminder of the vulnerability of even the smallest farms to the growing threat of cybercrime.