JBS has made “significant progress” in resolving the cyberattack that hit its global operations and will have the vast majority of its plants operational today, reported Bloomberg (June 2).
“Our systems are coming back online and we are not sparing any resources to fight this threat,” JBS USA CEO Andre Nogueira said in a statement Tuesday night.
IMPLICATIONS OF THE SHUTDOWN
The cyberattack forced all of JBS’s U.S. beef plants, which account for almost a quarter of American supplies, to shut down, according to an official with the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union who added that all other JBS meatpacking facilities in the country experienced some level of disruption.
The attack also forced shutdowns at slaughter operations across Australia and idled one of Canada’s largest beef plants. JBS has not yet released the details of how many plants globally were affected.
In addition, livestock futures slumped, while pork prices rose.
WHO WAS BEHIND THE ATTACK?
It’s been reported that a notorious Russia-linked hacking group, which goes by the name REvil or Sodinokibi, is likely behind the attack on JBS, according to four people familiar with the campaign who were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
Russia has no information on the cyberattack, but is in diplomatic contact with the U.S. government, according to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Additionally, he said that cybercrime issues will be on the agenda at a June 16 summit between Presidents Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin.
EXPERT OPINIONS
Since May 2020, there have been more than 40 publicly reported ransomware attacks against food companies since May 2020, according to Allen Liska, senior security architect at cybersecurity analytics firm Recorded Future, Bloomberg reported.
Attacks such as this highlight vulnerabilities in the nation’s food supply chain security, according to U.S. Senator John Thune of South Dakota. “They underscore the importance of diversifying the nation’s meat processing capacity,” he said.
