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 first came to public attention yesterday after a Texas grocery store, Stewart’s, shared an internal Dole memo on Facebook explaining the shortage of prepackaged salad. The memo stated that plants were closed and shipments paused while the company worked to contain the disruption.

Dole later confirmed the attack in a public statement, revealing that it had swiftly engaged cybersecurity experts to contain the threat 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.

The attack follows a similar 2021 breach at meat supplier JBS, where the REvil ransomware gang disrupted operations and extorted an $11 million payment. Dole’s incident highlights the ongoing vulnerability of critical food supply chains to cyber threats.

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

Dole plc cybersecurity rating report: https://www.rankiteo.com/company/dole-plc

"id": "DOL1782692623",
"linkid": "dole-plc",
"type": "Ransomware",
"date": "2/2023",
"severity": "100",
"impact": "5",
"explanation": "Attack threatening the organization's existence"

{'affected_entities': [{'customers_affected': 'Grocery stores and consumers',
                        'industry': 'Food Production',
                        'location': 'North America',
                        'name': 'Dole',
                        'type': 'Corporation'}],
 'customer_advisories': 'Internal memo to grocery stores',
 'description': '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 a '
                'shortage of prepackaged salad and disrupted food supply '
                'chains.',
 'impact': {'downtime': 'Temporary shutdown of production plants and halted '
                        'shipments',
            'operational_impact': 'Disruption of food production and supply '
                                  'chain',
            'systems_affected': 'North American production plants and shipment '
                                'systems'},
 'investigation_status': 'Ongoing',
 'references': [{'source': 'Stewart’s Grocery Store (Facebook post)'},
                {'source': 'Dole Public Statement'}],
 'response': {'communication_strategy': 'Public statement and internal memo to '
                                        'grocery stores',
              'containment_measures': 'Shut down production plants and halted '
                                      'shipments',
              'incident_response_plan_activated': 'Yes',
              'law_enforcement_notified': 'Yes',
              'third_party_assistance': 'Cybersecurity experts'},
 'title': 'Dole Ransomware Attack Disrupting North American Food Production',
 'type': 'Ransomware'}