Editor's note: A spokesperson from Ferrara reached out to us. Here's the official statement from the company.
On October 9, 2021, Ferrara disrupted a ransomware attack that encrypted some of our systems. Upon discovery, we immediately responded to secure all systems and commence an investigation into the nature and scope of this incident. Ferrara is cooperating with law enforcement and our technical team is working closely with third-party specialists to fully restore impacted systems as expeditiously and as safely as possible.
We have resumed production in select manufacturing facilities, and we are shipping from all of our distribution centers across the country, near to capacity. We are also now working to process all orders in our queue. We want to assure consumers that Ferrara's Halloween products are on shelves at retailers across the country ahead of the holiday.
We appreciate our employees' and customers' patience and understanding as we work toward a resolution.
Ferrara, a popular candy company based in Chicago was recently hit by a ransomware attack. The cybercriminals disrupted the firm's systems and encrypted some of them.
Ransomware Gang Attacks Candy Company
According to a report by NBC News on Wednesday, Oct.20, Ferrara was the latest food company to experience ransomware hacking. The company is known for its products such as Everlasting Gobstoppers, SweeTarts, Red Hots, Boston Baked Beans, Lemondhead candies, Nerds, and more.
At the time of writing, the company's spokesperson said via email that they have managed to resume the production but only to a few facilities.
Over the past years, ransomware attacks have been scattered across the globe. Even the food sectors from different countries did not escape the hacking scheme from the cybercriminals.
Usually, the hackers want to launch a ransomware attack to ask the victim for a payment. They would also tell the victim to comply with their demands. If the victim fails to pay the attackers, they will leak the files to the public.
Furthermore, many businesses struggle to keep up with the increasing need for security. The field of the food supply chain is only one of many industries that are regularly hit by ransomware attacks.
In the last few weeks, the ransomware gang has hacked the system of at least three-grain distributors in the United States.
Hackers Demand Payment From Ferrara
According to Ferrara, the hackers started to demand the payment on Oct.9. At that time, they consulted some cybersecurity experts who could help them in restoring the computer systems. The candy company confirmed the attack on Tuesday, Oct.19.
One of the company's representatives did not tell the expected number of orders that should be delivered before Halloween. The spokesperson only said that all of the distribution centers are now resuming shipping operations.
"We have resumed production in select manufacturing facilities, and we are shipping from all of our distribution centers across the country, near to capacity. We are also now working to process all orders in our queue," Ferrara stated in a report by Chicago Tribune.
Read Also : FiveHands Ransomware Seen to be Exploiting SonicWall--Similar to 'HelloKitty' Ransomware?
Ransomware Attacks on Other Food Sectors
Back in September, Tech Times reported that the ransomware attackers exploited the system of one of the largest US-based farm cooperatives. The result of the hacking could likely end up with a food shortage.
According to the Iowa cooperative, the systems went offline during the attack. The devices of the company were also affected.
The report stated that the New Cooperative cybercriminals are also linked to DarkSide. The said gang was the successor of the previous group who previously attacked the Colonial Pipeline.
A security analyst said that BlackMatter is demanding a $5.9 million payment for the ransomware decryptor.
In May, the largest meat supplier in the world encountered several server problems, which led to a cyber attack. The IT systems of JBS in Australia and North America have reportedly crashed.
Related Article: Ransomware Gang Hackers Arrested in Ukraine After Attacking European and North American Firms Since 2020
This article is owned by Tech Times
Written by Joseph Henry
