(LibertySociety.com) – In early May, a ransomware attack forced a partial shutdown of the Colonial Pipeline, America’s largest pipeline. The cyberattack caused gas shortages across more than a dozen states. A few weeks later, another attack caused the world’s largest meat distributor, JBS Foods, to stop production at all of its U.S. plants.
Price increases on all meat products will likely result. There are also concerns about how businesses are going to handle cyberattacks going forward. And to make the situation more complicated, cyberattacks could have major implications on foreign relations with Russia.
Suspects Named
On Wednesday, June 2, the FBI released a statement about the attack on the food industry. The agency, which leads investigations into cyber threats, said they have “attributed the JBS attack to REvil and Sodinokibi.” The alleged hackers are based out of Russia, just like the Colonial Pipeline attackers.
FBI Statement on JBS Cyberattack https://t.co/jGe1LXfbmY pic.twitter.com/gyPSCHmAob
— FBI (@FBI) June 2, 2021
According to a report by Just the News, U.S. intelligence officials are allegedly investigating whether Russian President Vladimir Putin knew about the attack. The officials said they want to determine if he knew and why the attack was carried out. Some believe the Russian leader could be trying to test Biden before their first meeting.
Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said the White House is in direct communication with Russia. The Biden administration reportedly told officials in Moscow that “states do not harbor ransomware criminals.”
Increase in Cybercrimes
According to VMware’s Global Security Insights Report 2021, 76% of security leaders have seen increased cyberattacks over the last year. The attacks rose 52% across impacted organizations.
As the world relies more heavily on technology, these types of attacks are becoming more frequent and potentially more devastating. What’s concerning is how widely one attack can impact people. Both the Colonial attack and the recent JBS breach affected supply chains, but infrastructure, hospitals, and other industries are also in danger. The nation’s security experts will need to figure out how to better protect the country in the future.
Copyright 2021, LibertySociety.com
