Milk distribution was in disarray in Wisconsin this week as one of the state’s larger milk processors, Schreiber Foods, was victimized by hackers demanding a rumored $2.5 million ransom to unlock their computer systems.
The cyberattack on the dairy processor came just as the New York Times published a front-page article headlined “Russia restarts cyber operations, despite rebuke” – referring to Russian-linked hackers. The article, which appeared Monday, Oct. 25, 2021, outlines how “Russia’s premier intelligence agency has launched another campaign” to pierce computer networks of the U.S. government, corporations, and think tanks.
Wisconsin milk handlers and haulers reported getting calls from Schreiber on Saturday (Oct. 23) saying that the company’s computer systems were down and that their plants couldn’t take the milk that had been contracted to go there. Haulers and schedulers were forced to find alternate homes for milk. As of Tuesday’s Wisconsin State Farmer deadline, there had not yet been reports of milk having to be dumped.
Calls to Schreiber Foods were not immediately returned.
But one dairy source said that it may be only a matter of time before silos full of milk that can’t be made into dairy products have to be disposed of.
Read the full story at Wisconsin State Farmer
