Crystal Valley, a Minnesota farming supply cooperative, has been hit by ransomware, making it the second farming cooperative that fell victim this weekend.
The company made an announcement yesterday that it was hit by a ransomware attack on Sunday, forcing it to take down its IT systems and restrict payments from credit cards.
Crystal Valley was notified by a third party on September 19 that they had been the subject of a ransomware attack. It then posted a notice on its website stating that Crystal Valley’s computer systems were attacked, and the company’s daily activities were significantly disrupted.
The notice further states that the company and cybersecurity specialists are working hard to re-establish safe and secure operating systems, which will be brought back online after rectifying the problem.
It is yet unknown whose ransomware operation is responsible for the incident. However, Crystal Valley was the second farming cooperative to be targeted last weekend.
NEW Cooperative was hit by the BlackMatter ransomware on Monday, which demanded $5.9 million in exchange for not leaking data and providing a decryption key. This firm, like Crystal Valley, also deals with Iowa farmers, but there is no evidence that the attacks are linked.
Recently, when the DarkSide ransomware attack knocked down Colonial Pipeline and meat manufacturer JBS was hacked by REvil, President Biden advised Russian President Vladimir Putin that ransomware attacks should be avoided at all costs.
President Biden also said that if Russia did not take measures to combat cybercriminals operating within its borders, the US would act to safeguard its interests.
However, no signs of collaboration have been seen, and ransomware attacks against US companies have continued unabated.
