Danish Agro ‘almost back to normal’ after April ransomware attack

01-Jul-2020 - Last updated on 01-Jul-2020 at 07:43 GMT

It is still not business as usual at Danish Agro following the ransomware attack it suffered back in April.

“We are almost back to normal (90%) and have managed to rebuild our IT environment,” Søren Møgelvang Nielsen, communication director, Danish Agro, told FeedNavigator.

Some further integration between systems is required, he said.

“The key learning for us is that no one is safe from these kinds of attacks and, if they think they are safe, they are not,” said Møgelvang Nielsen.

It is critical to install a strong surveillance setup, so you can identity and manage an attack quickly, he added.

In May he reported that Danish Agro had not had dialogue with the hackers and had not paid them any ransom.

A section of the group’s IT environment was affected by the ransomware attack.

Immediately following the incident, Danish Agro announced that it was managing to have its feed factories, ordering and logistics up and running subsequent to the incident with the help of IT systems that were not hit, some workarounds and manual processes.

All customers were encouraged to contact the company via telephone or email while work was carried out to restore the company’s IT systems.

The group is owned by 9,000 Danish farmers.

Exploiting crises

Cybercriminals, both as individuals and groups, will look to exploit the opportunities created by states of emergency, said Andy Barratt, UK managing director of cyber security consultancy, Coalfire, in a piece on Architects’ Journal.

He said there has been a blitz of new scams targeting consumers and businesses alike since the outbreak of COVID-19, particularly as firms have been tasked with quickly mobilizing remote working for their employees.

“Prior to Covid-19, we conducted a study that indicated that people remain one of the most prevalent security risks to businesses across the economy. With the majority of the UK working from home and IT teams focused on supporting the introduction of new communication tools, the likelihood of employees unwittingly helping cybercriminals to access their systems will have only increased.”