A ransom in bitcoin to escape new cyber attacks. That’s what he admitted to having paid for JBS, the world‘s number one Brazilian meat processing company. The company announced it, explaining that it had paid 11 million dollars to a gang of Russian hackers after suffering a cyberattack. This was announced by the chief executive of the American branch, Andre Nogueira, to the Wall Street Journal.
The ransom was paid after cyberattacks halted production at US and Australian factories, jeopardizing deliveries from a company that has a market share of close to 15% of the US meat market. In Italy, Jps controls the Rigamonti group, a leader in the production of bresaola.
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On May 31, the company announced that it was the victim of a ransomware attack, but now is the first time that the company’s US subsidiary confirms that it has paid the ‘ransom’, i.e. the ransom. The FBI blamed the attack on REvil, a Russian-speaking group that has made some of the most considerable ransomware claims in recent months. Ransomware attacks work by encrypting the files of the “prey” and demanding the payment of a ransom in order to regain access to the encrypted files.
This is not the first case. Previously, the company that operates Colonial Pipeline, America’s largest pipeline, had paid $ 4.4 million to another gang of Russian pirates but the FBI had recovered more than half of the amount.
The FBI is opposed to paying ransoms because by doing so, criminal organizations become increasingly rich and sophisticated but many companies are forced to do so to ensure the continuity of their activities.