JBS says that most of its U.S. plants will be back online today, three days after it announced it fell victim to a cyberattack.
The company supplies a quarter of America’s beef and the attack is getting a response from the White House.
The White House is offering its support to JBS in the wake of a cyberattack that crippled livestock processing.
Principle Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean Pierre says that the President is working directly with the Department of Agriculture.
According to Pierre, “USDA has reached out to several major meat processors in the United States to ensure that they are aware of the situation. We’re assessing any impacts on supply, and the President has directed the administration to determine what we can do to mitigate any impacts as they may become necessary.”
Investigators believe that the attack originated in Russia.
“The White House is engaging directly with the Russian government on this matter and delivering the message that responsible states do not harbor ransomware criminals,” she states. “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.”
She says that 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 harbor ransom actors accountable; expanding cryptocurrency analysis to find and pursue criminal transactions; and reviewing the USG’s ransomware policies,” she adds.
The White House is also calling on the private sector to take the threat of ransomware seriously and modernize cyber defenses. Resources for companies are available HERE
JBS says that while its facilities were down yesterday, it was able to ship product to customers. Also, it will not spare any resources to fight the security threat.
The big question now: How the cyberattack will impact producers, with an already stressed supply chain?