USDA Reports Food Industry Ransomware Attacks

May 13, 2024

USDA Reports Food Industry Ransomware Attacks

The Food and Agriculture Information Sharing and Analysis Center says their industries suffered 167 ransomware attacks in 2023. So far in Q1 2024, there have been 40 food industry ransomware attacks, a slight decrease from the year before. 

According to The Record, several large food companies dealt with cyber incidents in 2023, including Dole, Sysco, and Mondelez. The U.S. Department of Agriculture said that one ransomware gang used a popular file transfer tool to expose troves of food and agriculture industry information.

The director of the Food and Agriculture Information Sharing and Analysis Center told Recorded Future News that the sector is in the middle of the pack compared to other critical infrastructure affected by ransomware. He explained that gangs are going looking for organizations with exploitable security lapses, and praised law enforcement efforts to disrupt ransom gangs.

2024 got off to a fast start in terms of attack frequency in agriculture and food, but there were steep decreases in February and March after the takedowns of the LockBit and BlackCat gangs.

LockBit was behind about a quarter of all food and agriculture attacks in 2023, 40 in all. The BlackCat group attacked 15 agriculture victims last year. The Play Group has claimed responsibility for five attacks on agriculture in 2024, but the FBI warns that the Snatch group is targeting the sector as well.

Congress is directly addressing attacks on agriculture and food. In January, a bipartisan bill was introduced to boost digital defenses in those and other critical infrastructure sectors. A bill from 2023 would establish a hub inside the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to assist agricultural producers in securing technology and hardening operations against hackers. It would also create a hotline offering advice and best practices on cyber issues.

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