JBS Foods Paid $11 Million to Cybercriminals after Ransomware Attack

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JBS Foods, one of the leading meat producers in the world, paid $11 million to cybercriminals who caused a shutdown on meat production last week. The incident which affected servers supporting its’ North American and Australian network, lead to business interruptions, and caused price increases and meat scarcity.

To avoid further delay and to minimize the impact of the incident, JBS Foods decided to pay the $11 million ransom in the form of bitcoin. JBS USA CEO Andre Nogueira said ” It is a very difficult decision to make. However, we felt this decision had to be made to prevent any potential risk for our customers.” The REvil Gang was identified by the FBI as the one responsible for the attack. Wikipedia states that  REvil Gang is a private ransomware-as-a-service (RaaS) operation based in Russia.

According to the FBI website, “The FBI does not support paying a ransom in response to a ransomware attack. Paying a ransom doesn’t guarantee you or your organization will get any data back. It also encourages perpetrators to target more victims and offers an incentive for others to get involved in this type of illegal activity.”

If you are a victim of a ransomware attack, contact your local FBI office and ask for assistance. Also, consider reviewing your organization’s cybersecurity policy, make sure there is one in place, or better yet, hire a third-party cybersecurity company to help identify your organization’s cybersecurity risks.

For a free and confidential cybersecurity risk assessment that reveals where your company is at high risk to ransomware, hackers, and other devastating cyberattacks, Click Here to Sign Up.

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