US based largest candy corn factory hit by ransomware attack ahead of Halloween

America’s one of the largest candy corn makers Ferrara Candy Co. that makes Halloween treat staples has been hit by a ransomware attack that has now impacted its operations. Many of the systems across the company’s facilities suffered a shutdown earlier yesterday whilst Halloween is around the corner. The waxy, tri-coloured confectionary is one of the many leading food giants that has been the latest victim in a series of ransomware attacks that have hit the food corporations in the United States in recent months.

The Chicago based US firm known for manufacturing popular products such as Everlasting Gobstoppers, SweeTarts, Red Hots, Boston Baked Beans, Lemondhead candies, Nerds, and more stated in a circular to the US broadcasters that it has been able to resume only some of its production facilities after a hacking scheme from the cybercriminals.

Ferrara stated that some hackers demanded payment from the firm on Oct.9. When ignored, the company’s computer systems were hacked on Oct. 19 ahead of Halloween. A representative informed broadcasters that the distribution centres were now resuming shipping operations, but it remains unclear as to how many orders the confectionary firm was going to fulfil.

Ferrara consults cybercrime experts

In a statement to Crain’s Chicago Business, the US-based business said that it has consulted the cybercrime experts to get some of its systems back up and running. But the operations were ongoing on a limited basis. The company said that most of its Halloween orders were shipped out back in August. 

An Iowa agricultural cooperative, NEW, one of the largest farm cooperatives in the United States was similarly hacked last month prompting the fears of food shortages across the state. A member of the hacking group Red Hacker Alliance had used his computer at their office in Dongguan, China's southern Guangdong province to compromise the security via ransomware, which shut down the company’s systems, according to the HelpNetSecurity. The Agri co-op released a statement that it notified the state’s authorities and was working "to investigate and remediate the situation.” 

US President's 'Counter-Ransomware Initiative'

Ransomware attacks, now widespread in the US, can pose a hefty danger to global cybersecurity as it "scrambles the target organization’s data with encryption. The criminals leave instructions on infected computers for negotiating ransom payments. Once paid, they provide decryption keys for unlocking those files," Associated Press explains. It further elaborates that before triggering encryption, hackers "quietly copy sensitive files and threaten to post them publicly unless they get their ransom payments." 

In his opening statement at the White House, marking October as 2021 Cybersecurity Awareness Month, US President Joe Biden said that America was now under a "constant and ever-increasing threat from malicious cyber hackers and criminals," as he reminded about the series of ransomware attacks on the US fuel pipelines, food suppliers, hospitals, schools, police departments and businesses that posed major cybersecurity risk. Biden also revealed that he plans to bring the top national security advisers to convene a virtual meeting with leading global executives and officials from at least 30 countries to tackle the growing threat of ransomware and other cybercrime posed by extortionists hackers. 

"President Biden will bring together 30 countries at a 'Counter-Ransomware Initiative' to accelerate our cooperation in combatting cybercrime, improving law enforcement collaboration, stemming the illicit use of cryptocurrency, and engaging on these issues," a White House statement read earlier this month.