Food manufacturers top three for ransomware attacks

/in


The second quarter of 2023 saw 14 ransomware attacks against food and drink manufacturers globally, the third highest after equipment manufacturers (26) and electronics manufacturers (23).

Manufacturers were the most targeted for cyber security attacks, with 177 reported cases of ransomware against businesses in the second quarter alone – 70% of all alleged attacks. This was up from 143 in the previous quarter.

In total, Dragos detected 253 ransomware incidents in the second quarter of 2023, an 18% increase from the previous quarter. Of these attacks, 120 were reported in North America, 77 in Europe, 35 in Asia, 10 in South America, four in Africa, four in the Middle East and three in Australia.

Rapid growth of ransomware ecosystems

Dragos senior threat analysist Abdulrahman H. Alamri said: “The rise in ransomware attacks on industrial targets and their consequential impacts highlights the rapid growth of ransomware ecosystems and the adoption of different tactics, techniques, and procedures by these groups to achieve their objectives.”​

Ransomware attacks are a threat to the entire supply chain. An incident further up the chain may not immediately affect a food business, the consequent delays it can create can prove devastating, especially for our just in time system.

An example given by Dragos was an incident involving and attack on the Port of Nagoya in Japan, which impacted the port’s operations and subsequently affected the supply chains of other industrial organizations, including the Toyota packaging line.

Source…