Meatpacking giant JBS believes Russia behind hack that hit plants

NEW YORK: An American subsidiary of Brazilian meat processor JBS told the US government that it has received a ransom demand in a cyberattack it believes originated in Russia, forcing some plants to cut production.

JBS received the demand from "a criminal organization likely based in Russia" following the attack that has affected its operations in Australia and North America, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said on Tuesday.

The White House statement comes as yet another major US sector finds its operations under duress less than a month after a cyberattack temporarily shut down the Colonial Pipeline network supplying about 45 percent of the fuel consumed on the US east coast.

"The White House has offered assistance to JBS, and our team and the Department of Agriculture have spoken to their leadership several times in the last day," Jean-Pierre said.

"The White House is engaging directly with the Russian government on this matter and delivering the message that responsible states do not harbor ransomware criminals."

Brazil-based JBS is a sprawling meat supplier with operations in the United States, Australia, Canada, Europe, Mexico, New Zealand and Britain.

"We have cybersecurity plans in place to address these types of issues... the vast majority of our beef, pork, poultry and prepared foods plants will be operational tomorrow," Andre Nogueira, JBS chief in the United States, said in a statement Tuesday.

The company statement did not say if any ransom had been paid.

Its Australian facilities were said to have been paralyzed by the attack, with up to 10,000 meat workers being sent home without pay, according to a union representative.