AGCO ransomware attack disrupts tractor sales during U.S. planting season
May 6 (Reuters) – U.S. agricultural equipment maker AGCO Corp (AGCO.N) said on Friday a ransomware attack was affecting operations at some of its production facilities, and dealers said tractor sales had been stalled during the crucial planting season.
Georgia-based AGCO said in a statement it expects operations at some facilities to be affected for “several days and potentially longer.”
The ransomware attack comes at a time U.S. agricultural equipment makers were already facing persistent supply chain disruptions and labor strikes that left them unable to meet equipment demand from farmers. read more
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AGCO did not disclose the names of the facilities or if any data was stolen, but said it was still probing the extent of the attack that occurred on Thursday and working to repair its systems.
Tim Brannon, president and owner of B&G Equipment Inc in Tennessee, told Reuters he has not been able to access AGCO’s website for ordering and looking up parts since Thursday morning.
“We just have to trust that it will be over as soon as possible because we are coming into our busiest time of the year and it will be very damaging to our business and customers,” Brannon said.
AGCO, which competes with larger rival Deere & Co (DE.N), sells tractors and combines, manufactures and assembles products in 42 locations worldwide with 1,810 dealerships in North America.
Dealers are now struggling to keep up with orders that were already backlogged.
The company told dealers that it was “prioritizing” the most business critical systems in an e-mail read to Reuters by a dealer who declined to be identified.
“I’ve got about nine orders that I need to place right now,” said the dealer.
He said AGCO told him “digital systems” had been impacted worldwide.
AGCO did not respond to requests for additional comment.
AGCO’s shares were down 6% at $125.55 in late afternoon trading.
Ransomware attacks have targeted food and fuel companies in the United States in recent years, including the Colonial Pipeline’s oil network and meat processing company JBS (JBSS3.SA). Last autumn, at least three grain handlers in the Midwest were hit with ransomware attacks. read more
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Global Smartphone Sales Decline 6.8% in Q3
STAMFORD, Conn. — Smartphone sales across the globe dropped 6.8% in the third quarter of 2021, when compared to the same period last year.
Component shortages disrupted production schedules, leading to lower inventory and delayed product availability, which eventually impacted sales to end-users, according to the market research firm Gartner last month.
The current shortage of components, such as radio frequency and power management integrated circuits, delayed smartphone production globally, Gartner said. This disrupted the supply-demand equilibrium and end users were burdened with limited choices at point of sale.
Sales of premium smartphones continued to grow even though overall smartphones sales declined in the quarter.
“Despite strong consumer demand, smartphone sales declined due to delayed product launches, longer delivery schedule and insufficient inventory at the channel,” said Anshul Gupta, senior research director, Gartner.
“Supply constraints impacted the production schedule of basic and utility smartphones much more than premium smartphones.”
Samsung ranks No. 1 in smartphone sales in the the third quarter of 2021, though its market share declined 1.9% year over year, according to Gartner. Despite the overall decline, Samsung experienced growth of its premium smartphones, led by strong demand for revamped foldable smartphones.
Apple ranks No. 2 in sales, and Xiaomi ranks No.3 in the period, Gartner said.
Chinese smartphone vendors Xiaomi, Vivo, and OPPO increased their year-over-year market share 1%, 2.4%, and 1.7%.
See more: Mobile Security Trends
Worldwide Smartphone Sales to End Users in 3Q21
(Thousands of Units)
| Vendor | 3Q21 Units |
3Q21 Market Share (%) |
3Q20 Units |
3Q20 Market Share (%) |
| Samsung | 69,002.7 | 20.2 | 80,816.0 | 22.1 |
| Apple | 48,458.6 | 14.2 | 40,598.4 | 11.1 |
| Xiaomi | 44,483.3 | 13.0 | 44,405.4 | 12.1 |
| Vivo | 36,005.9 | 10.5 | 29,788.8 | 8.1 |
| OPPO | 33,623.9 | 9.8 | 29,850.4 | 8.1 |
| Others | 110,718.4 | 32.3 | 140,807.8 | 38.4 |
| Total | 342,292.8 | 100.0 | 366,266.9 | 100.0 |
Note: Due to rounding, some figures may not add up to the totals shown.
(Source: Gartner)
Apple continued to experience strong demand for iPhones led by feature upgrades and under-penetrated 5G installed base, according to Gartner. An…
Black Friday deals 2021 live blog — 53 best sales right now
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Over 50% off! Getting some security cameras set up around my property is something I keep meaning to get around to but never do. Well, now I have lots of incentive with this 55% off deal.
Right now Amazon has the Blink Outdoor 3 cam kit bundle with the Echo Show 5 for just $149. You’ll save $185 overall.
The Blink Outdoor is a wireless battery-powered HD security camera that runs up to two years on AA batteries and can withstand the elements. And you can use the Echo Show to see visitors (or unwanted visitors) in real time. You can also get motion alerts on your phone.
Blink Outdoor 3 cam kit with Echo Show 5: was $334 now $149
With all the hype around the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S22, you should not forget about the Galaxy S21. Right now with a qualifying trade-in you can get Samsung’s flagship starting at just $249. The Galaxy S21 features a sharp 6.2-inch 120Hz display, 5G connectivity and (unlike the iPhone 13) a telephoto camera to go along with the wide and ultra-wide lens.
Want something bigger? The 6.7-inch Galaxy S21 Plus starts at $449 with this sale, and the monster Galaxy S21 Ultra with 120x Space Zoom can be yours for as little as $599.
Galaxy S21: from $149 w/ trade-in @ Samsung
This MacBook Air 2020 deal gives you Apple’s awesome ultraportable for just $829. And you’ll save $170. This configuration features an Intel Core i3 processor, 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. You also get a comfy Magic Keyboard, sharp Retina display and long battery life. No, this doesn’t have the latest M1 chip, but it’s still a great value. Act fast on this limited time deal.
MacBook Air (Intel): was $999 now $829 @ B&H
Killer TV Deal! This 55-inch Samsung QLED TV has been slashed by $250 on Amazon as part of its Black Friday deals. This television offers fantastic 4K images thanks to Samsung’s Quantum Processor, Alexa support and a 120Hz refresh rate that makes this set ideal for gaming.
Yes, there are cheaper TVs, but this quantum dot panel delivers colors, contrast and…
US Blacklists Israel Tech Firm After Years of Spyware Sales — IR INSIDER
Israel technology firm ‘NSO Group’ received a landmark ban from the Biden administration on Wednesday for selling smartphone surveillance tools. The blacklist is the strongest measure taken by the US government to curb largely unregulated global spyware abuse.
The US Department of Commerce accused the company of selling hacking spyware to foreign governments targeting specific individuals, from dissidents to members of the Catholic clergy. Security researchers caught the company’s spyware attempting to access the iPhones of a human rights activist in the United Arab Emirates and a journalist in Mexico.
NSO Group Spokesperson Zamir Dahbash said that the spyware was solely used to track criminal and terrorist investigations for authorized governments. The firm’s corporate mission statement: “make the world a safe place”, is advertised to governments and law enforcement agencies around the world as necessary to track kidnappers, terrorists, and drug dealers. This pitch has earned the company over $61 million from contracts in Mexico alone, while also pitching throughout Europe.
NSO Group emphasized their commitment to global safety when responding to the ban in a statement, announcing that they were, “dismayed by the decision given that our technologies support US national security interests and policies by preventing terrorism and crime, and thus we will advocate for this decision to be reversed.” They also claimed that product misuse has “resulted in multiple terminations of contract with government agencies.”
Conglomerates like Apple, Google, and Facebook have increased their encryption methods to protect data in their systems from government agency tracking. NSO Group’s spyware tool, Pegasus, bypasses security measures by baiting digital users to click on malicious links or succumb to software flaws. Facebook is currently suing the firm for targeting 1,400 users on their Whatsapp messaging service.