b"FOOD SECURITYIN 2017,a major cyber-espionage incident underscored vul-nerabilities within the U.S. seed industry. A Chinese company was accused of hacking into the networks of leading U.S. agri-IS NATIONALcultural biotechnology firms like Monsanto, DuPont Pioneer and Syngenta. The hackers used phishing emails to infiltrate these companies' networks, stealing valuable intellectual property related to genetically modified (GM) crops.SECURITY This stolen data, which included proprietary information on genetically engineered seeds and trade secrets, posed significant economic risks and threatened to disrupt the market by poten-tially introducing counterfeit products. This incident highlighted the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures in the seed Universities partner with industry andindustry and catalyzed enhanced cyber defenses and industry collaboration.government to bolster cybersecurity. Cybersecurity is something that could be fundamentally Aimee Nielson, Seed World U.S. Editor against the manufacturers of equipment, against the seed indus-try, against the livestock industry, said Jim Reecy, Iowa State University College of Agriculture and Life Sciences associate vice president for research. All of the same techniques are being used SW24/ SEEDWORLD.COMSEPTEMBER 2024"