If you run a farming co-op, watch out for ransomware. The FBI has noticed a disturbing trend of hackers targeting IT systems belonging to farming groups during the planting and harvesting seasons.
In a security notice, the FBI reveals that six grain cooperatives suffered ransomware attacks during last fall’s harvest season. Another two attacks occurred earlier this year, which could “impact the planting season by disrupting the supply of seeds and fertilizer,” the agency says.
The hackers are preying on farming groups during the critical planting and harvesting seasons in the hopes it’ll further pressure them into paying the ransom demands. “Cyber actors may perceive (farming) cooperatives as lucrative targets,” the agency adds.
The FBI didn’t disclose how many farm groups have been hit. But according to the security notice, “multiple” agricultural co-ops have been targeted since last year with a variety of ransomware strains, including the Lockbit 2.0 strain. Last month, a hacking group unleashed the malicious computer code on a “a multi-state grain company," which also provides fertilizer services.
The hackers deliver their attacks by exploiting known, but unpatched vulnerabilities in IT software. In addition, they’ve been infiltrating agricultural co-ops by breaking into shared network resources or managed IT services at another provider.
“Production was impacted for some of the targeted entities, resulting in slower processing due to manual operations, while other targeted entities lost access to administrative functions such as websites and email but did not have production impacted,” the FBI adds.
In the worst case scenario, the FBI said a successful ransomware attack on the US farming industry could disrupt grain production, which would affect the entire food supply chain since grain is also used for animal feed. Meanwhile, an attack on a meat or dairy producer could result in spoiled products.
To stay safe, the FBI urges farming groups to back up their data and place the copies in storage offline. The agency also suggests they install software patches as soon as they become available and use multi-factor authentication wherever possible, among other tips. For more helpful recommendations on avoiding ransomware at your business, check out our guide.