A cyber attack on Mackay Sugar, described as Australia’s second-largest exporter of sugar, has been claimed by a ransomware group known as “The Gentlemen”, which the email said has more than 500 victims worldwide.
The incident has been framed as a warning for the broader food supply chain, with the email noting that disruption to food production can affect exports, supply chains and consumer prices.
The email also drew comparisons with the 2021 ransomware attack on JBS Foods, which disrupted the meat producer’s Australian operations.
Jason Pearce, Field CTO at Claroty Cyber Security said
“Attackers are increasingly targeting Australia’s Food Manufacturing sector due to a combination of lower cyber maturity and high opportunity for disruption. Compared to other industries like finance and healthcare which have heavily invested in cybersecurity, the Food Manufacturing sector is typically less prepared to face cyber attacks. Attackers are taking advantage of this. They know these incidents will have a ripple effect throughout the entire food supply chain, causing significant disruption to other businesses and consumers.
Simply put, cyber criminals no longer need to target banks, power stations or other traditional high-value sectors to create significant economic disruption. If they can disrupt food production, they can impact exports, supply chains and consumer prices. We’ve seen this before with incidents like the JBS Foods cyber attack, where cyber disruption to processing operations had flow-on effects throughout the supply chain and left supermarket shelves bare. The Mackay Sugar incident is another reminder that food production has become a critical cybersecurity issue in Australia.” said Jason Pearce, Field CTO at Claroty Cybersecurity.
