JBS USA, the US subsidiary of one of the world’s largest meat producers, said it was the target of an “organized cybersecurity attack” that has disrupted its operations in the United States and abroad.
In a statement released Monday, the company said it was ascertained over the weekend that it had suffered a cyberattack that affected some of the computer servers that support its North American and Australian IT systems.
The company owns dozens of brands, including Pilgrim’s, Country Pride, Swift, and Blue Ribbon.
“The company took immediate action, suspending all affected systems, notifying authorities, and activating the company’s global network of IT professionals and external experts to resolve the situation,” JBS USA said in the statement, adding that its servers backup were unaffected and he was working to restore their systems asap.
“The company is not aware of any evidence at this time that any customer, supplier or employee data has been compromised or misused as a result of the situation,” the statement said. “Resolution of the incident will take time, which can delay certain transactions with customers and suppliers.”
JBS USA did not immediately respond to a message requesting additional information about the incident, including questions about the scale and scope of the apparent cyber attack.
Several JBS USA facilities appeared to still be recovering from the cyberattack as of Tuesday, however, as evidenced by operations at several of its plants that were downsized or shelved.
On their social media pages, JBS USA facilities in Texas, Minnesota and Iowa announced, for example, that several work shifts would be canceled on Tuesday. The incident also halted operations at a beef plant in Alberta, Canada, Bloomberg News reported. The processing of beef cattle and lamb at an Australian facility was also canceled, according to the Australian Financial Review.
Headquartered in Greeley, Colorado, JBS USA is a subsidiary of JBS Foods, which is based in Sao Paulo, Brazil. The subsidiary boasts online of being the largest producer of beef in the US, as well as the second largest producer of pork and poultry in the country.
