The FBI says cyber attacks are possible, and agricultural co-ops should take precautions.

WASHINGTON — The FBI is warning agricultural cooperatives that internet ransomware attacks may be more likely during critical planting and harvest seasons, disrupting operations, causing financial losses and disrupting the food supply.

The FBI noted ransomware attacks against six grain cooperatives last fall during harvest and two attacks this year that could have impacted the planting season by disrupting the supply of seed and fertilizer.

“Cyber actors may perceive cooperatives as lucrative targets with a willingness to pay due to the time-sensitive role they play in agricultural production,” the FBI stated.

Although ransomware attacks against the entire farm-to-table sector occur regularly, the number of cyberattacks against agricultural cooperatives during key seasons is notable, the agency said.

Since 2021, several agricultural cooperatives have been hit by a variety of ransomware.

Initial intrusions included known but unpatched software vulnerabilities as well as secondary infections from the exploitation of shared network resources, according to the FBI.

Production was impacted for some of the targeted co-ops, resulting in slower processing due to manual operations, while others lost access to administrative functions such as websites and email.

“A significant disruption of grain production could impact the entire food chain, since grain is not only consumed by humans but also used for animal feed,” the FBI said.

In addition, a significant disruption of grain and corn production could impact commodities trading and stocks,” the agency said.

An attack that disrupts processing at a meat or dairy facility can quickly result in spoiled products and have cascading effects down to the farm level as animals cannot be processed, it said.

The cyberattacks last fall and this year included:

• March, 2022: A multi-state grain company had a ransomware attack. In addition to grain processing, the company provides seed, fertilizer and logistics services, which are critical during the spring planting.

• February, 2022: A company providing feed milling and other agricultural services reported two instances in which an attacker gained access to some of its systems and may have attempted to initiate a ransomware attack. The attempts were detected and stopped.

• Sept. 15-Oct. 6, 2021: Six grain cooperatives were attacked by ransomware. Several types of ransomware were used. Some targeted co-ops had to halt production while others lost administrative functions.

• July, 2021: A business management software company found malicious activity on its network. The ransomware attacker demanded $30 million in ransom. The attack led to secondary ransomware infections on several of its clients’ computer systems, which included several agricultural cooperatives.

Recommendations for protecting against ransomware attacks and additional resources can be found at: https://bit.ly/3EGpo6X