JBS announces progress in resolving cyber attack

Meat producer JBS has announced “significant progress” in resolving the cyber attack that has impacted its Australian and North American operations.

The attack follows the Colonial Pipeline ransomware incident last month, where the company had to take certain systems offline to contain the threat. Andre Nogueira, JBS USA CEO, said, “Our systems are coming back online and we are not sparing any resources to fight this threat. We have cybersecurity plans in place to address these types of issues and we are successfully executing those plans.”

The meat producer said it has “received strong support from the US, Australian and Canadian governments, conducting daily calls with officials in an effort to safeguard the food supply”. 

White House principal deputy press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said during a press gaggle that JBS notified the administration that the ransom demand came from a criminal organisation likely based in Russia. “The White House is engaging directly with the Russian government on this matter and delivering the message that responsible states do not harbour ransomware criminals. The FBI is investigating the incident and CISA is coordinating with the FBI to offer technical support to the company in recovering from the ransomware attack,” said Jean-Pierre.

“Combating ransomware is a priority for the administration. President Biden has already launched a rapid strategic review to address the increased threat of ransomware to include four lines of effort: one, distribution of ransomware infrastructure and actors working closely with the private sector; two, building an international coalition to hold countries who harbour ransom actors accountable; expanding cryptocurrency analysis to find and pursue criminal transaction; and reviewing the USG’s ransomware policies.”

In an interview with Steve Austin on ABC Drive Brisbane, Minister for Agriculture, Drought and Emergency Management David Littleproud said the Australian Government is working with JBS on the matter and hopes to learn from it and set parameters to not just protect government networks but also support corporates.

Image credit: ©stock.adobe.com/au/ArtemSam

Originally published here.