A criminal organisation that is probably based in Russia was the origin of a ransomware attack that has disrupted animal slaughtering at JBS, the White House said after it was informed by the world’s largest meat processor, as reduced operations threatened to curtail beef supplies and drive up prices.
São Paulo-headquartered JBS has for the past two days suffered from a cyber attack on its North American and Australian systems that halted work for thousands of employees.
The company has stood down up to 7,000 workers in Australian abattoirs that rely heavily on casual staff, while shifts for at least 3,000 workers have been cancelled across Canada and the US.