From CNET: One of the biggest meat producers in the US paid an $11 million ransom to cybercriminals responsible for temporarily knocking out processing plants last week, the company said Wednesday.
JBS USA made the payment to avoid further disruption to production and to limit the impact on restaurants, grocery stores and farmers, said Andre Nogueira, chief executive of the US division of Brazilian meat company JBS.
"This was a very difficult decision to make for our company and for me personally," Nogueira said in a statement. "However, we felt this decision had to be made to prevent any potential risk for our customers."
JBS' payment was made in Bitcoin, according to The Wall Street Journal, which reported the payment earlier Wednesday.
Following the hack, JBS reportedly had to halt operations at its five largest beef plants in the US as well as some other facilities, prompting concerns about possible meat shortages. The five plants together reportedly process 22,500 head of cattle per day. Some plants in Australia were also reportedly impacted.
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