Vital Bircher Details

    Organization Logo

    Vital Bircher

    Hagendorn10 employees • Agriculture

    https://www.myswitzerland.com
    Switzerland

    Industry

    Agriculture

    Security Incidents

    1

    Vital Bircher Farm is an agricultural organization specializing in organic and sustainable farming practices. The farm's primary purpose is to produce high-quality, organic produce while promoting environmentally friendly farming techniques and contributing to the local food movement. Over the years, Vital Bircher Farm has become known for its commitment to soil health, biodiversity, and reducing its carbon footprint through various innovative farming methods.

    Founded on traditional values combined with modern agricultural practices, Vital Bircher Farm has developed a reputation for producing...
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    Security Incidents

    Vital Bircher Breach of Nov 2023
    Severity Score
    Moderate to Significant

    Type

    Unknown

    Summary

    In late 2023, Vital Bircher, a farmer in Switzerland, suffered a ransomware attack that paralyzed its milking robots and resulted in the death of a cow and its calf. The cyberattack targeted its computer systems, which had vital animal health data. As a result, Bircher could no longer access important information regarding his cows, including the detection of emergencies.

    Initially, Bircher mistook the situation for a simple outage. However, he was later informed by the milking system manufacturer that his systems had been hacked. The ransomware attack encrypted his data, with the attackers d...
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    Severity

    The cyberattack on the Swiss farmer, Vital Bircher, was a severe incident, demonstrating the digital vulnerabilities even small farmers face. The attack immobilized vital computer systems that communicated essential health data about his cows, directly contributing to the unfortunate death of a pregnant cow. The hackers demanded a ransom of $10,000, but Bircher did not acquiesce, resulting in substantial financial losses and a tragic animal death.

    Given the immediate and direct harm caused to livestock and the potential for such attacks to hit other small farmers similarly reliant on automat...
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    Impact

    This cyber incident represented a targeted ransomware attack against a small Swiss farmer, Vital Bircher. The attack paralyzed Bircher's computer systems, which were interlinked with his milking robots and vital cow monitoring equipment. As a result, the inability to access real-time data led to the unfortunate death of one of his cows, illustrating a significant disruption to his operation.

    While customer data was not exposed, the attack led to a steep financial loss estimated at 6,000 Swiss francs, attributed to veterinary costs and equipment replacement. This incident underscores the vulne...
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