Beef, pork production disrupted worldwide as largest producer recovers from cyberattack

Cyberattack on largest meat producer

LBS, the world’s largest beef and pork producer, resumed some production Tuesday after a cyberattack.

NEW YORK - A cyberattack Sunday on LBS, the world’s largest beef and pork producer, has disrupted production here in the U.S. and throughout the world. As of Tuesday night, some production has come back online.

This happening weeks after a similar attack shut down a major US oil pipeline. And once again, authorities are pointing the finger at Russian-based hackers.

Now, customers should expect to see the price of meat increase.

"It’s all about ransomware. We’ve seen this beforehand - getting a malicious payload into a network, deleting backup files, encrypting files you need to operate," said Michael Balboni, President of Redland Strategies and a former Homeland Security Advisor.

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NYPD reacted to pipeline cyberattack

NYPD Deputy Commissioner of Intelligence and Counterterrorism John Miller said soon after the department learned of the ransomware attack on the Colonial Pipeline, it quickly spread the word through the CCSI, which stands for Critical Infrastructure Partners.

It’s not known who is behind the attack, the White House and FBI are investigating. It appears the attack originated in Russia.

"They look for choke points, vulnerabilities, and they look to squeeze you at the most vulnerable section," said Michael Balboni, President of Redland Strategies and a former Homeland Security Advisor.

Ransomware cyberattack

The recent ransomware cyberattack targeted 300,000 computers in 150 countries. Most worms activate when you click on a link or download a file. WannaCry activates on its own. Then it takes over your computer and encrypts all your files. You can't access anything. Then users are told to provide payment, in this case in Bitcoin, and hope the hacker answers.

JBS halted slaughter at its plants in Colorado and Texas. Plants in Iowa, Minnesota, Pennsylvania, and Nebraska are also affected. The US plants in Iowa handle more than 22,500 cattle a day. A disruption that may likely lead to increased prices.

"We know that farmers produce animals, sold through a small number of processing facilities. This increases the amount of risk for disruptions," said Andrew Stevens, Assistant Professor of Agricultural and Applied Economics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Out of concern the cyberattack could spread, several chicken processing plants closed as well.