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Another US Establishment Hit by Ransomware Group Operating From Russia
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Another US Establishment Hit by Ransomware Group Operating From Russia

Ransomware attacks on US establishments have been on the rise with the recent one hitting the agriculture sector. Can the US do more to stop them?

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Iowa-based New Cooperative Inc. is the recent victim in the spate of ransomware attacks that have hit US shores in 2021. A new outfit called BlackMatter has claimed responsibility for the attacks and has demanded a $5.9 million ransom payable in cryptocurrency, Wall Street Journal reported.

The cooperative, which currently operates in over 50 locations within Iowa, supplies grain feedstock services to livestock and poultry farms. The attack that happened around Friday was identified by the cooperative which then took its systems offline to contain the threat, said a statement from the organization. Law enforcement agencies have been informed and investigations are underway to understand how the attack was carried out.

Earlier this year, US-based meat supplier, JBS was hit by a ransomware attack by REvil after which the company paid US$11 million to get its systems restored. But, attacks have not been limited to individual companies alone. Prior to that, Colonial Pipeline that carries fuel to the US East Coast was also attacked by ransomware group DarkSide severely threatening critical infrastructure. Both the hacker groups operated out of Russia.