Cyberattack Causes Disruptions and $1 Million Loss for South Africa’s Largest Chicken Producer

Astral Foods, South Africa’s largest chicken producer, faced a cyberattack on March 16 that caused significant disruptions, including delivery delays and processing downtime. The company, which produces chickens, eggs, and animal feed, reported a $1 million loss due to the attack, amounting to 20 million rand in lost revenue.

Astral Foods activated its disaster recovery protocols to recover its systems, and the company confirmed that all business units are operating normally now. However, the week-long disruptions resulted in a decrease in earnings per share for the current financial period. Despite the damages, the company clarified that no sensitive data of customers, suppliers, or stakeholders was compromised.

Astral Foods did not disclose specifics about the type of cyberattack or the perpetrators. Ransomware gangs are often known to target large agricultural companies, as they may pay ransoms to avoid disruptions in food production and distribution. The Food and Agriculture-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Food and Ag-ISAC) reported 167 ransomware incidents in the food sector in 2023 alone, with major companies like JBS, Dole, and Sysco also being targeted in recent years.

The attack has prompted concerns about the growing risk of cyberattacks on the agriculture sector, which remains vulnerable due to its reliance on digital systems for large-scale operations.