The FBI is warning that cybercriminals are targeting the US food and agriculture sector with ransomware attacks.

US businesses and agencies have increasingly been under attack from cybercriminal groups, both state-sponsored and profit-driven. JBS Foods, T-Mobile, Colonial Pipeline, the University of Kentucky and Kaseya are just a few of the major companies and organizations that have recently been attacked.

The worst may be yet to come, with the FBI warning that the food and agriculture sector is being specifically targeted.

The Food and Agriculture sector is among the critical infrastructure sectors increasingly targeted by cyber attacks. As the sector moves to adopt more smart technologies and internet of things (IoT) processes the attack surface increases. Larger businesses are targeted based on their perceived ability to pay higher ransom demands, while smaller entities may be seen as soft targets, particularly those in the earlier stages of digitizing their processes, according to a private industry report. 

The FBI is asking for any information that may be of assistance.

The FBI is seeking any information that can be shared, to include boundary logs showing communication to and from foreign IP addresses, Bitcoin wallet information, the decryptor file, and/or a benign sample of an encrypted file. 

The FBI reiterates that it does not encourage companies to pay a ransom, but recognizes that all options are on the table when a company is crippled and unable to do business as a result of an attack. Regardless of whether an organization agrees to pay or not, the FBI encourages victims to contact it as soon as possible so it can render assistance.

The FBI’s full notice is well worth a read, as it includes detailed mitigation efforts organizations should be taking.