Meatpacking Company JBS Says That Russia Behind Hack That Shut Plants

A White House spokesperson said that " a criminal organisation likely based in Russia" affected the company's operations.

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.