JBS Paid $11 Million in Ransomware Attack
JBS Foods has said it paid roughly $11 million to resolve a ransomware attack that crippled the company.
JBS Foods is the world’s largest meat producer, with operations in the us, Canada and Australia. The company experienced a cyberattack on May 30 that crippled operations. At the time, company officials were not commenting on the kind of attack it suffered, although many suspected it was ransomware.
JBS has now confirmed the attack was, indeed, a ransomware attack and that it paid $11 million to end it. At the time the decision was made to pay the ransom, a majority of the company’s facilities were already operational. The ransom was paid, however, to keep data from being taken and ensure there were no lingering issues.
“This was a very difficult decision to make for our company and for me personally,” said Andre Nogueira, CEO, JBS USA. “However, we felt this decision had to be made to prevent any potential risk for our customers.”
The company is continuing to work with government officials and investigators and the investigation has confirmed “that no company, customer or employee data was compromised.”
