JBS USA pressed for information on cyberattack, ransom

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, says she is “deeply troubled” by the recent cybersecurity attack on JBS USA, as well as the company’s decision to pay the hackers – identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as Russian cybercrime group REvil – $11 million in ransom.

Roy Graber Headshot
(ra2studio | Bigstock)
(ra2studio | Bigstock)

U.S. Rep. Carolyn Maloney, chairwoman of the House Oversight and Reform Committee, says she is “deeply troubled” by the recent cybersecurity attack on JBS USA, as well as the company’s decision to pay the hackers – identified by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) as Russian cybercrime group REvil – $11 million in ransom.

Maloney, in a letter written to JBS USA CEO Andre Nogueira, Maloney sought answers.

“I am deeply troubled by this and similar ransomware attacks. Any ransom payment to cybercriminal actors like REvil sets a dangerous precedent that increases future risk of ransomware attack. Congress needs detailed Information about the attack to legislate effectively on ransomware and cybersecurity in the United States,” wrote Maloney, D-New York.

In the letter to JBS USA, Maloney requested all documents and communications related to:

  • The discovery of the ransomware attack against JBS USA on May 30
  • Communications concerning the ransom
  • Any decryption tool provided by the attackers, including the performance of such decryption tool

In a statement issued on June 9, JBS acknowledged it paid the ransom. Nogueira stated: “This was a very difficult decision to make for our company and for me personally. However, we felt this decision had to be made to prevent any potential risk for our customers.”

The attack reportedly affected some of JBS USA’s servers supporting company information technology (IT) systems in the United States and Australia. The company stated that all JBS USA and Pilgrim’s Pride facilities were able to resume production “at close to full capacities” across its global operations on June 3.

JBS USA is a unit of JBS SA, headquartered in Sao Paolo, Brazil. According to the WATTPoultry.com Top Companies Database, JBS is the world’s largest protein supplier and the second largest food company. It also ranks first globally as a poultry producer, having slaughtered 4.04 billion broilers during the past year.

Last week, another federal lawmaker, Sen. Jon Tester, expressed his concerns about the incident. Tester wrote to Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and Attorney General Merrick Garland, asking them to thoroughly investigate the situation. Tester, in his letter, said he was concerned about how the more consolidated the country’s meat and poultry industry becomes, the more vulnerable the food supply becomes. 

Page 1 of 1575
Next Page