Major meat producer hit by cyberattack, likely from Russia
“The company is not aware of any evidence at this time that any customer, supplier or employee data has been compromised or misused as a result of the situation,” JBS said. “Resolution of the incident will take time, which may delay certain transactions with customers and suppliers.”
The White House addressed the attack during a press conference Tuesday. Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters JBS was a victim of a ransomware attack “from a criminal organization likely based in Russia.” She added that the White House is directly dealing with the Russian government on the matter.
JBS contacted the White House Sunday and said that it was a victim of a ransomware attack, Jean-Pierre said, and the White House and the Agriculture Department have offered assistance. The FBI is also investigating the incident, she added.
Jean-Pierre said President Biden has also directed his administration to determine how to mitigate the impact on the nation’s meat supply, along with USDA.
The company did not immediately respond to a request for additional comment.
“If the Colonial Pipeline cyberattack didn’t impact enough consumers to spur response by the international community, the JBS meat supplier incident likely will,” Meg King, the director of the science and technology innovation program at The Wilson Center, told CNN Business. “Now is the time for a global agreement to break the business model of ransomware,” she added.
“The supply chains, logistics, and transportation that keep our society moving are especially vulnerable to ransomware, where attacks on chokepoints can have outsized effects and encourage hasty payments,” John Hultquist, VP of analysis at cybersecurity firm Mandiant Threat Intelligence, told CNN Business.
