Vilsack Ag Community Must Be Prepared For Cyberattacks

Ransomware attacks have become a part of everyday life, for small business and large businesses alike, and that includes major Ag and food interests like JBS. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack warns that Agriculture must be prepared. JBS reportedly paid $11 million in ransom to hackers, just weeks after Colonial Pipeline paid $4 million. President Biden called on Russia’s Vladimir Putin to crack down on cyber extortion from his country and warned the U.S. will respond if the attacks continue. Vilsack said regardless what happens, farm country must be ready.

 “The first order of business, I think, is to make sure that everyone in the food industry and food business understands the steps that they need to take to harden their systems; a set of standards or a set of guidance or requirements for hardened systems, and we’re going to convene food groups to essentially make sure they understand and appreciate precisely what is required.” 

As USDA and other agencies work with law enforcement.

“Secondly, we’ll be more than happy to coordinate with any legal investigation. And I think there’s also an issue of this whole notion of cryptocurrency, which is outside of my area of expertise, but one that I suspect folks in the Senate and the House need to be thinking very strongly about.” 

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