FBI Warns of Targeted Cyberattacks on Food Plants Amid Heightened Coverage of Fires

Contact Your Elected Officials
The Epoch Times Header

The FBIโ€™s Cyber Division issued a warning about potential cyberattacks on agricultural cooperatives and food plants amid increasing media coverage of recent fires and explosions at food processing plants across the United States.

โ€œRansomware actors may be more likely to attack agricultural cooperatives during critical planting and harvest seasons, disrupting operations, causing financial loss, and negatively impacting the food supply chain,โ€ the FBIโ€™s recent notice said (pdf), adding that ransomware attacks in 2021 and early 2022 could disrupt the planting season by affecting โ€œthe supply of seeds and fertilizer.โ€

โ€œA significant disruption of grain production could impact the entire food chain, since grain is not only consumed by humans but also used for animal feed,โ€ the bureau also warned, adding that โ€œa significant disruption of grain and corn production could impact commodities trading and stocks.โ€

Detailing a spate of recent cyberattacks on food processing facilities and agricultural companies, the FBI listed at least four separate incidents since last summer.

โ€œIn July 2021, a business management software company found malicious activity on its network, which was later identified as HelloKitty/Five Hands ransomware. The threat actor demanded $30 million USD ransom,โ€ the agency said in one of its examples.

And last month, a grain company that operates in several states experienced a Lockbit 2.0 ransomware attack, the bureau wrote. The firm also processes fertilizer and seeds, and provides logistics for agricultural services.

โ€œSix grain cooperatives experienced ransomware attacksโ€ between mid-September 2021 and October 2021, the FBI said. โ€œA variety of ransomware variants were used, including Conti, BlackMatter, Suncrypt, Sodinokibi, and BlackByte. Some targeted entities had to completely halt production while others lost administrative functions.โ€

It comes as an increasing number of firesโ€”and even explosionsโ€”have been reported at food processing facilities across the country, according to reports, which were even featured during a segment on Fox Newsโ€™ โ€œTucker Carlson Tonightโ€ on April 22.

On April 14, a fire destroyed a food processing plant in the agricultural hub of Salinas, California, officials confirmed. City officials said at the time that an ammonia-triggered explosion sparked the fire at theย Taylor Farms Processing Facility.

Byย Jack Phillips

Read Full Article on TheEpochTimes.com

The Epoch Times
The Epoch Timeshttps://www.theepochtimes.com/
Tired of biased news? The Epoch Times is truthful, factual news that other media outlets don't report. No spin. No agenda. Just honest journalism like it used to be.

Was Texas Storm Manmade?

Another โ€œ1-in-100 yearsโ€ weather event in Kerr County happened next to a Texas designated โ€œWeather Modification Map of Rain-Enhancement Projects in Texasโ€.

The America Party Will Harm Democrats The Most

Elon Musk formed the America Party after an X poll asking his followers if they wanted โ€œindependence from the two-party system!

Democrats Exhibit the Dunning-Kruger Effect (DKE)

โ€œThe Dunning-Kruger effect is a cognitive bias where people with low ability at a task overestimate their competence, while those with high ability underestimate their competence.

250 Countdown

Those 56 intrepid men who signed put their very lives, honor and fortunes on the line. There was no auto-quill to accommodate their signatures.ย 

How the Senate Parliamentarian Changed the OBBB

An unelected bureaucrat does a important job in the U.S. Senate. Elizabeth MacDonough enforces senate rules on Trumpโ€™s โ€œOne Big Beautiful Billโ€.

Man Killed After Opening Fire at Border Patrol Facility in Texas

27-year-old man armed with a rifle was killed after opening fire outside Border Patrol facility in McAllen, TX, prompting shootout with feds and local police.

Amazon Prime Day Set to Lift US Online Sales by $23.8 Billion

Online spending in the United States is expected to surge by $23.8 billion during Amazonโ€™s expanded Prime Day event from July 8 to July 11.

Nigerian National Pleads Guilty to Defrauding 400 Victims Including Elderly Americans

Nigerian national has pleaded guilty to running a transnational inheritance fraud scheme defrauding many elderly and vulnerable people in US, DOJ) said.

Trump Administration Ends Deportation Protections for 76,000 From Honduras, Nicaragua

Mondayโ€™s decision is the latest in several temporary protected...

Trump to Extend Tariff Deadline to Aug. 1, Keep Rates at 10 Percent During Talks

White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters that Trump will sign the order to move the deadline to Aug. 1 from its current date of July 9.

DOJ, FBI Find Epstein Committed Suicide, Had No โ€˜Client Listโ€™

Jeffrey Epstein committed suicide and had no โ€œclient list,โ€ according to the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the FBI.

National Weather Service Fully Staffed During Deadly Texas Flooding: White House

White House press sec. Karoline Leavitt told reporters that the National Weather Service had a full staff on hand to handle the Central Texas flooding.

US Removes Terrorist Designation for Al Qaeda Affiliate in Syria

The State Department has removed from its list of foreign terrorist organizations Al Qaedaโ€™s affiliate in Syria, Jabhat al-Nusra.
spot_img

Related Articles