The attack on JBS affected two shifts and halted processing at one of Canada’s largest meatpacking plants.
The world’s largest meat supplier has become the latest victim of a cyber attack, posing a new threat to global food security, already affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.
JBS SA disabled its North American and Australian computer networks after an organized attack on some of its servers on Sunday, the company said by email. Without commenting on operations at its plants, JBS said the incident could delay certain transactions with customers and suppliers.
The attack affected two shifts and halted processing at one of Canada’s largest meatpacking plants, while the company canceled all beef and lamb operations in Australia, the industry’s website Beef Central reported. Some slaughter and manufacturing shifts in the United States were also canceled, according to a union post on Facebook.
Hackers now have commodities in their sights, and the attack on JBS was perpetrated just three weeks after an attack on the operator of the largest US pipeline It also occurred as the global meat industry battles a persistent Covid-19 absenteeism after recovering from last year’s massive outbreaks that caused a plant shutdown and disrupted supplies.
Canadian plant
The cyber attack hit a Canadian beef plant in Brooks, Alberta, about 190 kilometers east of Calgary, on Monday, according to Scott Payne, a spokesman for the United Food and Commercial Workers Canada Union local 401 union. The plant corresponds to more than a quarter of the nation’s capacity and, according to a job advertisement, processes around 4,200 head of cattle a day.
A JBS packing plant in Belleville, Ontario, where beef, pork and salmon are prepared for grocery stores, was operating normally, said Tim Deelstra, spokesman for UFCW Canada’s local union 175. In the US, UFCW Union 7 posted on Facebook that slaughter and manufacturing shifts A and B had been canceled for June 1. Union 7’s membership includes 3,000 JBS workers in Greeley, Colorado.
São Paulo-based JBS has plants in 20 countries. Australia and New Zealand account for 4% of the company’s revenue, while the US represents 50% and Canada 3%, according to company data. The company also has operations in South America and Europe.
Backup servers were not affected and the company is actively working to restore systems as soon as possible, according to a statement released Monday by JBS’s US operation. The processor said it is not aware that any customer, supplier or employee data has been compromised or misused.
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