Co-op and M&S food supplier hit by ransomware attack

• Peter Green Chilled told its clients it suffered a ransomware attack
• It temporarily stopped delivering goods
• Markets are feeling the sting of the attack

Peter Green Chilled, a UK logistics company that distributes chilled and frozen food to UK supermarkets, suffered a ransomware attack recently that caused serious problems throughout the supply chain.

According to multiple media reports, the company mailed its customers on May 15, to notify them of the cybersecurity incident that occurred the day before. The BBC, citing the company’s managing director, Tom Binks, said the transport activities were operational, but new orders were not being processed.

No further details about the attack itself were given. Therefore, we don’t know who the attackers are, how they managed to infiltrate Peter Green Chilled’s IT infrastructure, or how much they’re demanding in ransom.

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How the attack affects supermarkets

We also don’t know if the attackers stole any sensitive files, as is usual in ransomware attacks. The company is not responding to media inquiries at the moment, it seems.

Peter Green Chilled is not the largest organization in its industry, but it still plays an important role, as it supplies major UK supermarkets, including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, and Aldi. It also services Co-op and M&S, who are currently addressing cyberattacks of their own.

The attack at Peter Green Chilled sent ripples throughout the industry. Speaking at a morning radio show, the founder of The Black Farmer food brand explained how Peter Green not delivering the goods will probably cost the business around $133,000 a week. And that’s just one business, for one week’s work.

Cybercriminals love targeting critical infrastructure providers, since the pressure is enormous and forces the organizations to pay the ransom demand to keep the business going. For Jamie Moles, Senior Technical Manager at NDR provider ExtraHop, cybersecurity in retail and logistics needs to be treated with the same severity as it’s being treated in critical infrastructure.

“Cybersecurity in retail and supply chain logistics must be treated with the same severity as critical infrastructure,” he told TechRadar Pro in an emailed statement. “Protecting digital systems is no longer optional, and modernising how organisations can see into their networks will improve resilience against threats like ransomware, ensuring continuity and trust in the systems we all rely on every day."

Via The Register

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