[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) revealed on the 2nd (local time) that the hacking of the computer network of JBS USA, the U.S. subsidiary of the world's largest meat processing company JBS, was carried out by an organization linked to Russia.
According to the U.S. political media outlet The Hill, the FBI stated in a press release on the same day, "The cyberattack on JBS was carried out by the ransomware groups REvil and Sodinokibi," announcing that these groups are linked to Russia.
The Hill cited experts saying that REvil and Sodinokibi are different names for one hacking group previously known to be connected to Russian hackers.
The FBI emphasized, "We will relentlessly pursue the perpetrators of this incident and ensure they face legal consequences," adding, "An attack on any one of us is an attack on all of us."
The White House also announced on the 1st that following the ransomware attack on JBS USA, a criminal organization believed to be based in Russia demanded ransom.
JBS suffered a cyberattack on the 30th of last month, which paralyzed production at dozens of meat processing plants operated in the U.S. and Australia. Headquartered in Brazil, JBS announced on the 2nd that most of the hacked computer systems had been restored.
This incident drew attention as it followed the shutdown of operations at Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. oil pipeline company, due to a ransomware attack by hackers on the 7th of last month, which caused significant difficulties such as rising fuel prices in the U.S.
The incident is notable as it occurred just one month after Colonial Pipeline, the largest U.S. pipeline operator, was forced to halt operations due to a ransomware attack by the hacker group "DarkSide" on the 7th of last month. This had previously caused a gasoline shortage in the U.S. Concerns are rising over the JBS SA cyberattack as it targeted a major meat supply chain.
At that time, the U.S. suspected that DarkSide, which carried out the Colonial Pipeline hacking attack, was based in Russia, and although there was no evidence of direct involvement by the Russian government, it claimed that Russia should bear some responsibility.
Regarding these cyberattacks, the White House announced that at the U.S.-Russia summit to be held in Geneva, Switzerland, on the 16th of this month, U.S. President Joe Biden will discuss the role of the Russian government in managing "hacking criminals."
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