All global JBS facilities up and running following ransomware attack

JBS USA and Pilgrim’s on Thursday afternoon announced that all global facilities were functioning normally, days after JBS was hit by a ransomware attack believed to have been carried out by Russia-based hackers. 

JBS, the largest beef provider in the U.S., saw facilities in both North America and Australia affected by the ransomware attack that hit the company over the weekend and forced the shutdown of all U.S. facilities on Tuesday. 

The two companies noted Thursday that all lost production from the shutdown would be made up by the end of this week, and that the amount lost was less than one day’s typical production.

“Thanks to the dedication of our IT professionals, our operational teams, cybersecurity consultants and the investments we have made in our systems, JBS USA and Pilgrim’s were able to quickly recover from this attack against our business, our team members and the food supply chain,” JBS USA CEO Andre Nogueira said in a statement Thursday. 

Nogueira also thanked the White House, the FBI, and the Department of Agriculture, all of which stepped in earlier this week to address the hacking incident and work to ensure limited disruption to food supply chains. JBS notified authorities immediately upon learning of the attack.

“The criminals were never able to access our core systems, which greatly reduced potential impact,” Nogueira said. “Today, we are fortunate that all of our facilities around the globe are operating at normal capacity, and we are focused on fulfilling our responsibility to produce safe, high-quality food.”

While JBS stressed the immediate reaction to the hack and its security measures, the relatively quick resolution of the incident may fuel concerns that the company paid the ransom demanded by the hackers, who the FBI said Wednesday were likely a Russia-linked group. 

The incident came on the heels of escalating ransomware and other cyberattacks affecting critical U.S. organizations. 

Colonial Pipeline, which provides around 45 percent of the East Coast’s fuel supply, was hit by a ransomware attack from another Russia-linked cyber criminal group last month, with the company choosing to pay the equivalent of $4.4 million in Bitcoin to decrypt its systems. 

Earlier this week, the Steamship Authority of Massachusetts was hit by a ransomware attack that impacted services, and critical organizations including hospitals and schools have been increasingly targeted by hackers that see these groups as vulnerable. 

As a result of the attacks, Reuters reported Thursday that the Justice Department would elevate the investigation of ransomware incidents to same priority level as terrorism, and President Biden is intending to address the issue with Russian President Vladimir Putin when they meet in-person later this month.