Cyber attack on JBS – Giant meat company on the aim

Some buyers may want to prepare for another potential supply crisis, this time with meat. Beef and pork giant JBS USA suffered a cyber attack last weekend, prompting reported shutdowns at the company’s plants in North America and Australia.

JBS SA was precisely the victim of ransomware, a malware that can gain access to information and files, then encrypts them and does not allow access to them. Regarding information traded after a cyber attack as ransomware, it is common practice for criminals to pressure victims to pay. At the moment, the supplier did not disclose what is happening with internal operations, but it is known that one of Canada’s meatpacking plants had to stop its operations. On the other hand, JBS SA told all its customers and suppliers that the cyberattack would hinder the sale of products and asked for patience in the face of what happened.

White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said the United States has contacted the Russian government on the matter and that the FBI is investigating, in addition, the White House has offered assistance to JBS and the team in the Department of Agriculture has spoken with its leadership several times in the last day, Jean-Pierre said.

JBS notified the administration that the ransom demand came from a criminal organization likely based in Russia. The White House is engaging the Russian government directly on this matter and conveys the message that responsible states do not harbor ransomware criminals.

Unfortunately if the problems continue, consumers could see higher meat prices during the summer barbecue season in the United States and exports could be interrupted at a time of strong demand from China. Incident will take time, which can delay certain transactions with customers and suppliers. Unfortunately, this cyber attack suffered by JBS can not only affect the company but also the whole world.

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