The world’s largest meat processor was targeted by hackers,
JBS learned over the weekend, hitting the industry as it continues to strain against supply chain upheavals caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
The company said in a news release that it detected the intrusion on its computer networks in North America and Australia on Sunday, but that its backup servers were not affected. The company is working with an outside cybersecurity firm to restore its systems.
Though unaware of any evidence that the attackers compromised or misused data tied to its customers, suppliers or employees, JBS said that resolving the fallout from the attack “may delay certain transactions with customers or suppliers.” It did not specify how its operations may have been affected.
JBS did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
DHS to issue first cybersecurity regulations for pipelines after Colonial hack
The cyberattack is the latest to target a crucial supply chain or large institution. Three weeks ago, the Colonial Pipeline hack disrupted a key piece of the East Coast’s fuel infrastructure, setting off panic buying and temporary gasoline shortages across several states, including the nation’s capital.
Hackers walked away from the ransomware attack with
$4.4 million, according to Colonial Pipeline’s chief executive Joseph Blount. Federal officials have linked the attack to a Russia-based black hat group called DarkSide that
researchers say has extracted $46 million in ransom payments this year alone. Despite the controversial decision to pay off bad actors, which may incentivize them to pursue even more attacks, Blount described the payment as “the right thing to do for the country,” given the critical importance of his company’s infrastructure.
The need to better secure the nation’s supply chains prompted the Department of Homeland Security last month to issue
new security directives to regulate the pipeline industry for the first time.
Even in the face of surging grocery prices, retail beef and pork prices cause sticker shock
A breakdown in the food supply chain emerged as an early flash point during the initial spread of the coronavirus last year.
As the
outbreak tore through meatpacking factories, hundreds of workers fell ill, forcing slaughterhouses owned by
Tyson,
Smithfield Foods and
JBS USA to shutter.
JBS is the top beef producer in the U.S., and the No. 2 producer of pork and poultry, according to its website. It is the largest meat and food processing company in Australia.
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