The White House said Tuesday that the Agriculture Department is offering assistance to JBS after the top meat producer reported a cyberattack and ransom demand Sunday from a criminal organization likely based in Russia.
“The White House is engaging directly with the Russian government on this matter and conveys the message that responsible states do not harbor ransomware criminals,” Karine Jean-Pierre, White House Chief Deputy Press Secretary, told journalists traveling with President Biden to Tulsa, Oklahoma. .
Ms. Jean-Pierre said the administration is providing technical assistance and any help that can mitigate the consequences.
The company was forced to shut down slaughterhouses that account for a significant portion of the US beef and pork supply.
The attack on a major meat supplier comes weeks after a similar attack on the Colonial Pipeline that caused gasoline shortages in the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic.
The White House said Biden is looking to shore up cyber infrastructure defenses, working with allies to hold countries accountable if they protect ransom-seeking hackers and root out perpetrators using cryptocurrencies.
JBS said it took immediate action after the attack on the North American and Australian IT network by shutting down the systems, notifying authorities and bringing in outside experts. The company said its backup servers were not affected.
“The company is not aware of any evidence at this time that customer, supplier or employee data has been compromised or misused as a result of the situation,” JBS said. “Resolution of the incident will take time, which can delay certain transactions with customers and suppliers.”
