Astral Foods, the largest chicken producer in South Africa, experienced a cyberattack causing operational disruptions and more than $1 million in losses. The company implemented disaster recovery protocols, ensuring no sensitive data was compromised. This incident aligns with a broader trend of ransomware attacks affecting agricultural institutions, emphasizing the need for improved cybersecurity measures.
Astral Foods, South Africa’s largest chicken producer, recently suffered a cyberattack that resulted in significant operational disruptions, leading to over $1 million in losses. On March 16, the company activated its disaster recovery protocols to address the incident, which affected both processing and delivery to customers.
As a result of the attack, Astral Foods reported a revenue loss equating to approximately 20 million rand, attributed to delays and operational backlogs. Fortunately, the company confirmed that all business units are functioning normally following the recovery of their systems, and no sensitive information was compromised during the cyber intrusion.
The company cautioned that the cyberattack’s impact would cause notable reductions in earnings per share for the upcoming financial period. Astral Foods had previously reported an annual revenue exceeding $1 billion for 2024. Despite this incident, details regarding the nature of the attack or potential perpetrators have not been disclosed, which coincides with a concerning trend of ransomware gangs targeting the agriculture sector.
According to the Food and Agriculture-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Food and Ag-ISAC), the agricultural sector experienced at least 167 ransomware attacks in 2023 alone. Previous high-profile cases involving firms such as JBS and Dole have drawn attention to the vulnerabilities within food production organizations, many of which are compelled to pay ransoms to avoid severe disruptions in food distribution.
Jonathan Greig, a journalist with a focus on cybersecurity, highlights that ransomware attacks have become increasingly prevalent in the agricultural domain. A notable example is a 2021 incident where a farm incurred losses of $9 million due to such an attack, stressing the need for enhanced cybersecurity measures across the sector.
In summary, Astral Foods’ recent cyberattack highlights the vulnerabilities present in the agricultural sector, particularly concerning ransomware threats. The incident led to significant financial losses and operational halts but was managed sufficiently to prevent the compromise of sensitive data. As ransomware attacks proliferate, the industry must adopt stronger cybersecurity protocols to safeguard against future threats.
Original Source: therecord.media
