One of the world’s biggest growers and distributors of fresh food, Dole Food Company, has disclosed that a ransomware attack has affected its business. There is now little information available, and the business is looking into “the scope of the event,” emphasizing minimal damage.
The business has a workforce of about 38,000 employees and generates $6.5 billion in revenue each year. Dole claims that it has already consulted with outside specialists that assist with the security and remediation of damaged systems in a statement on its website.
The incident has also been reported to law enforcement authorities. Dole described the impact as “minimal,” but a statement posted on Facebook by a Texan grocery store shows that the food giant was compelled to close its North American production facilities.
Dole Delivered Memo To American Supermarkets
Dole has also stopped sending its products to supermarkets. The memo states, “Dole Food Company is now experiencing a cyberattack, and as a result, [we] have shut down our systems across North America.”
The company informed its partners that “our plants are closed for the day and all shipments are on hold.”
Dole food sent a memo to American supermarket retailers (Stewart’s). Customers have complained about shortages of prepackaged Dole salad on store shelves for over a week now. The scarcity was probably brought on by this ransomware attack, despite the fact that the corporation declined to say when the incident took place.
Dole will implement its crisis management plan, including the “Manual Backup Program,” according to the document emailed to retailers. This implies that the company may switch back to manual processes, which should allow for the delayed restoration of production and distribution.
How Food Manufacturers Can Stay Safe From Hackers
The following actions can help food manufacturers strengthen security, safeguard themselves from damaging cyberattacks, and recover in the event of an intrusion:
- It is highly automated and data-driven to produce food. Outdated software and processes almost beg for bad actors to intervene when every food company’s production system component is traceable, recorded, and electronically checked. For a foundational understanding of your cybersecurity, conduct a deep-dive examination.
- Implement multifactor authentication and restrict access. Only the portions of the network that employees require to perform their tasks should be accessible to them. Multifactor authentication and encryption should be required to reduce unwanted access and password breaches.
- Intense training can eliminate human mistakes. Re-iterate important security training principles and remind your staff to take measures. Also, it’s crucial to react quickly to any security incidents.
- Data backups and system testing. It is crucial to scan the entire network architecture, including the databases. In the event of a cyberattack, timely data access is essential to solving the problem. Create a production copy, a local copy, and a cloud-based copy of your data as part of your data redundancy strategies. But keep in mind that data isn’t always properly backed up or isn’t always accessible right away following a cyberattack.
- Endpoint response and detection may be helpful. Endpoint detection and response is a new technology that can assist with ongoing monitoring and responding to emerging threats. Also, an automatic security procedure may ban users who engage in suspicious behavior from the network. Some filters, URL blockers, and an application list to prevent the installation of unwanted software are examples of other automatic security measures.
- Plans for responding to incidents should specify what constitutes an “incident” and who is responsible for activating the plans. Key stakeholders’ identities and roles in the case of a breach should be listed in a response plan. Plans must also include instructions for alerting these parties as well as a cyber policy outlining how to cover costs and distribute resources after a breach.
- Transfer the risk of cyberattacks to insurance. Internal management procedures are necessary to reduce cyber incidents and their detrimental impacts. Yet cyber insurance aids in shifting that risk to a different party. Cyber insurance is expensive and practically only possible to obtain with multifactor authentication or endpoint detection.
Conclusion
Dole Food Corporation, one of the world’s most significant consequence and vegetable growers and distributors, has reported that a ransomware onslaught has affected their business. The effects are limited, there are fewer standards for nan infinitesimals, and institution is currently looking into “the extent of nan incident.” The business has 38,000 employees and an annual revenue of $6.5 billion.
Dole claims that it has already hired pinch third-party experts to steal pinch technical remediation and information on affected systems in a statement posted on its website. Also, the incident has been reported to a member of law enforcement, notwithstanding Dole’s claim that a memo from a Texan market shop that was published on Facebook shows that nan nutrient elephantine was compelled to shut down its accumulation plants that were successful in North America. It appears that Dole has also stopped sending products to retail outlets.
