Dole: Food giant Dole hit by ransomware, halts North American production temporarily

Dole Hit by Ransomware Attack, Disrupting North American Food Production

Earlier this month, food producer Dole suffered a ransomware attack that forced the company to temporarily shut down its North American production plants and halt shipments to grocery stores. The incident came to public attention on [date of CNN report] after a Texas grocery store, Stewart’s, shared an internal Dole memo on Facebook explaining the shortage of prepackaged salad.

The memo stated that Dole’s plants were closed for the day, with all shipments paused as the company worked to contain the threat. Customers across the U.S. reported frustration over the lack of Dole salad products on store shelves.

Dole later confirmed the attack in a public statement, revealing that it had engaged third-party cybersecurity experts to mitigate the breach and secure its systems. The company also notified law enforcement and is cooperating with the investigation. While Dole reported that the operational impact was limited, it did not disclose the ransomware strain involved, whether data was exfiltrated, or if a ransom demand was made.

This incident follows a similar 2021 attack on meat supplier JBS, where the REvil ransomware gang disrupted operations and extorted an $11 million payment. Ransomware remains a persistent threat to critical supply chains, with attacks increasingly targeting food production and distribution networks.

Source: https://www.bitdefender.com/en-us/blog/hotforsecurity/food-giant-dole-hit-by-ransomware-halts-north-american-production-temporarily

Dole Food Company cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/dole-food-company

"id": "DOL1781268141",
"linkid": "dole-food-company",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "10/2024",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Grocery stores and consumers '
                                              'across the U.S.',
                        'industry': 'Food Production',
                        'location': 'North America',
                        'name': 'Dole',
                        'type': 'Corporation'}],
 'customer_advisories': 'Internal memo explaining product shortages',
 'description': 'Food producer Dole suffered a ransomware attack that forced '
                'the company to temporarily shut down its North American '
                'production plants and halt shipments to grocery stores. The '
                'incident caused shortages of Dole salad products on store '
                'shelves across the U.S.',
 'impact': {'customer_complaints': 'Frustration over product shortages',
            'downtime': 'Temporary shutdown of production plants and halted '
                        'shipments',
            'operational_impact': 'Disruption in food production and '
                                  'distribution',
            'systems_affected': 'North American production plants, shipment '
                                'systems'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
 'references': [{'source': 'CNN'},
                {'source': 'Stewart’s Grocery Store (Facebook)'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public statement and internal memo to '
                                        'grocery stores',
              'containment_measures': 'Temporarily shut down production plants '
                                      'and halted shipments',
              'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes',
              'third_party_assistance': 'Engaged third-party cybersecurity '
                                        'experts'},
 'title': 'Dole Hit by Ransomware Attack, Disrupting North American Food '
          'Production',
 'type': 'Ransomware'}