Last weekend, there was a huge cyberattack against the world’s biggest meat processor and distributor company, JBS S.A. The JBS cyberattack attack completely suspended their operations in Australia and North America causing major impacts to the supply chains that were associated with this company. Today we’re going to look at this situation and see what we can learn from it.
What Happened to JBS S.A.?
During the last weekend of May 2021, JBS’ IT systems were targeted by ransomware and their North America and Australia operations were completely shut down. While most, if not all of the operation steps require technology, this caused every part of their company to be put on a pause.
Thankfully, JBS had backups so they were able to restore their systems and return to operation. Because of this, there is no current evidence that any customer, supplier, or employee data was compromised in the ransomware attack. But this does not mean there is nothing more to look at surrounding an event like this. Let’s go over the big lessons we should learn from this.
First of All, Who’s Responsible, and Who is Involved in Fighting Back?
At the moment, there is no evidence that any activist groups were involved in the ransomware attack. Instead, sophisticated cybercriminals, like those that have been associated with Russian cyberattacks, are currently housing the blame for this attack. The U.S. government has been in contact with Russia concerning these efforts, along with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s interest in the cyberattack.
Even though the nature of the assistance hasn’t been disclosed, The Australian Cyber Security Centre has also chipped in with assistance of their own. They are working with the Australian government and the Australian Federal Police to identify who was responsible sooner than later.
The Impacts of Ransomware and Other Threats
While ransomware is one of the newest mainstream cyberattacks, it has grown and become more concerning on a global level as it has been popularized. Beyond being a threat that locks down your computer or network, ransomware also has an exfiltration element, which can delete data if the ransomware is not paid and can be stolen and sold. This type of attack is associated with the JBS cyberattack.
Luckily, JBS had implemented protections ahead of time, so they had a backup solution if anything were to happen to them. This is why we encourage all businesses to have backups that will help your business have leverage if a phishing or ransomware attack ever comes for your business. These attacks are more likely as you may realize, so we highly encourage you to create backups now so your team can be ready and prepared for any attack that comes your way. The JBS cyberattack can teach us all lessons.
MyTek is here to help with your cybersecurity needs and have everything ready to get you started. Give us a call today at 623-312-2440 to learn more.