World's largest meat supplier becomes a target of another ransomware attack

BreaknLinks

Washington DC
Representational

Hackers, who are suspected to be Russians, have attacked the world's largest meat supplier JBS. The ransomware attack that was reported on Tuesday has disrupted the chain of meat supply through JBS, a Brazillian corporation.

“JBS notified the administration that the ransom demand came from a criminal organization, likely based in Russia,” White House Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters Tuesday aboard Air Force One, The Hill reported.

“The White House is engaging directly with the Russian government on this matter, and delivering the message that responsible states do not harbor ransomware criminals,” she continued.

Jean-Pierre noted that JBS USA, which is the nation’s top beef producer, had notified the White House on Sunday that they had been hit by a ransomware attack, the same type of attack recently used by a Russian-based cybercriminal group that forced Colonial Pipeline to shut down systems for a week.

The FBI is investigating the attack, with the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) providing technical support.

“The White House has offered assistance to JBS, and our team and the Department of Agriculture have spoken to their leadership several times in the last day,” Jean-Pierre told reporters, adding that the Agriculture Department had reached out to warn other major meat producers. 

“We’re assessing any impacts on supply, and the president has directed the administration to determine what we can do to mitigate any impacts as they may become necessary,” Jean-Pierre said. 

Following the Colonial-Pipeline attack, the US Biden administration has issued an executive order to shore up the cybersecurity of the country.

Publish : 2021-06-02 16:26:00

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