** AWARDS ISSUED PRIOR TO JANUARY 20, 2025, WERE FUNDED UNDER PREVIOUS ADMINISTRATIONS AND MAY NOT REFLECT THE PRIORITIES AND POLICIES OF THE CURRENT ADMINISTRATION.** WITH AN INCREASING TREND OF BROADBAND ADOPTION AND THE NECESSITY TO DRIVE GREATER PRODUCTION EFFICIENCIES AND NEAR REAL-TIME MONITORING OF RESOURCES (BOTH FINANCIAL AND PRODUCT FLOW) ACROSS THE ENTIRE SUPPLY CHAIN, RURAL FOREST PRODUCTS AND BIOENERGY (FPB) INDUSTRIES ARE NOW AT GREATER RISK OF CYBER-ATTACKS. DUE TO A LACK OF RESOURCES AND EVEN AWARENESS, RURAL BUSINESSES CAN EASILY BE AN ATTRACTIVE TARGET FOR CYBER-ATTACKS, WHICH MAY LEAD TO ACCOUNT HIJACKING, RANSOM, DATA LOSS, OR EVEN RUNNING OUT OF BUSINESS. GIVEN THAT RURAL BUSINESSES EXPERIENCE A SET OF DIFFERENT UNIQUE CYBER CHALLENGES COMPARED TO THEIR URBAN COUNTERPARTS, IT IS URGENT TO QUICKLY UNDERSTAND THE SOURCES OF RISK AND ASSOCIATED CYBER VULNERABILITY WITHIN THE RURAL FPB PRODUCTION PATHWAY. REALIZING THE URGENCY, THIS STUDY AIMS TO GAIN A DETAILED UNDERSTANDING OF THE STATE OF FPB CYBERSECURITY PRACTICES, THE RISK AND POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES THAT STEM FROM CYBERSECURITY VULNERABILITIES, ASSESS CYBERSECURITY TECHNOLOGIES AND AFFORDABILITY, AND GATHER STAKEHOLDER INPUT TO IDENTIFY THE CAPABILITY GAPS IN CYBERSECURITY THAT EXIST WITHIN THE FPB INDUSTRY. SPECIFICALLY, THIS SEED GRANT WILL (1) SURVEY TO GAUGE THE CURRENT KNOWLEDGE AND CYBER PRACTICES IN THE RURAL FPB INDUSTRY; (2) CONDUCT HYPOTHESIS TESTING TO DETERMINE ANY POSSIBLE RELATIONSHIP WITHIN THE COLLECTED SURVEY DATA; (3) IDENTIFY HOTSPOTS OF CYBER RISKS AND POTENTIAL CONSEQUENCES TO INDUSTRIES AND CONNECTED SOCIETIES WITHIN THE FPB PRODUCTION PATHWAY VIA DEVELOPING A SYSTEM THINKING APPROACH; (4) ASSESS CYBER RISKS AND VULNERABILITIES TO RELATED LOCAL INDUSTRIES AND PROPOSE RECOMMENDATIONS TO DEVELOP AFFORDABLE CYBER SOLUTIONS FOR THE RURAL BUSINESSES.