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Minnesota grain handler targeted in ransomware attack By Reuters

by Mike Robinson

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© Reuters. FILE PHOTO. An elevator worker from Crystal Valley Cooperative, Minnesota leaves a shed used to store excess soybeans after this year’s harvest. It was taken out by Karl Plume and Tom Polansek in CHICAGO (c) Reuters. REUTERS/Karl Plume/File Phot

By Tom Polansek and Karl Plume

CHICAGO (Reuters) – Minnesota agricultural firm Crystal Valley Cooperative said it had been targeted in a ransomware attack in recent days, making it the second Midwestern farm-services provider in a week to be forced to take systems offline due to cybersecurity incidents.

Crystal Valley is a supplier of fertilizer and other supplies to farmers. It was made aware that the ransomware attack occurred on Sunday. The company took its operating systems offline, and stopped accepting credit cards.

Crystal Valley released a statement online stating that the attack had infected Crystal Valley’s computer systems and disrupted the company’s daily operations. The company asked for customers’ understanding as it worked to resolve the problem.

Crystal Valley was left unable to order livestock feed or mix fertilizer because of the attack, according to Kevin Paap (a soybean and corn farmer from Garden City, Minnesota).

He said that local cooperatives have helped him grind feed, and shared the load.

NEW Cooperative Inc. in Iowa stated Monday that its systems are offline due to a cybersecurity incident. BlackMatter, a Russian-speaking cybercriminal organization that claims to have stolen data from the Farm Services provider, posted on its website.

Farm Belt growers are gearing up for their autumn harvest and disruptions are affecting them.

Crystal Valley owns eight grain elevators that can hold a combined total of 25,000,000 bushels. This is Minnesota’s third largest soybean-producing state in America and fourth largest corn producer. According to the website. Two sites load large 110-car trains to be delivered to major buyers and exporters.

President of Minnesota Farm Bureau Paap said that he was able to transport grain from Crystal Valley to Vernon Center without any delays because the normal automated process has gone offline.

He said, “It’s old-school with handwritten tickets rather than the computer reading your card as you drive into.”

Following high-profile hacking attacks on U.S. fuel supply and food supplies, cybersecurity is now at the forefront of Biden’s administration agenda.

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