Our colleagues Diego Fernando Bustamante, Luis E. Sánchez, David G. Rosado, Antonio Santos-Olmo, and Eduardo Fernández-Medina from the GSYA group have published an article entitled “Towards a sustainable cybersecurity framework for Agriculture 4.0 based on a systematic analysis of proposals” in Computers & Security (IF 5.4, Q1). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cose.2025.104650. The article is available under an Open Access license.

Abstract

The world is currently experiencing a profound transformation driven by the convergence of disruptive technologies under the concept of Industry 4.0. These technologies have driven sectors such as agriculture to modernise and automate for greater sustainability, leading to what is now referred to as Agriculture 4.0 However, this transformation entails risks and requires new frameworks that address cybersecurity, sustainability, and knowledge reuse. In this paper, we conduct a systematic review of these new systems with the aim of identifying their main shortcomings and proposing a new framework. The review revealed a significant gap in comprehensively addressing cybersecurity, AI, and sustainability. This highlights the need for deeper exploration of how these elements interact to benefit the agricultural sector.

To this end, we propose the development of the QUILLAQUA framework, oriented towards secure, intelligent, and sustainable agriculture, with a focus on fostering effective synergies among these crucial components. This framework integrates advanced technologies in cybersecurity, IoT, and AI to optimise the management of water and nutritional resources in hydroponic systems, ensuring sustainability and data security. This approach aims to enhance technological efficiency in agriculture. It also aims to foster greater awareness to tackle present and future challenges in sustainable agriculture. By doing so, it ensures a successful transition towards more digitized and secure agricultural practices.