Ransomware is akin to blackmail: Pay and the hackers will give you a key to get your data back. The FBI defines it as “a type of malicious software, or malware, that prevents you from accessing your computer files, systems, or networks and demands you pay a ransom for their return.”
But money’s not the only object of hackers’ desires; Paris Stringfellow — a vice president at the Cybersecurity Manufacturing Innovation Institute (CyManII) and a researcher at Clemson University in South Carolina — and other experts note they may also be in search of customer data or want to gain control of processing or farming equipment to “quietly modify your product quality, to hurt your reputation, or they might even want to steal your Intellectual property.”
Jay Felton, head of the agribusiness and food industry group at the Lathrop GPM law firm, also said “operational technology” security is a major focus — “someone coming in and taking control of your assembly line or shutting down your power, so you literally can't get in your building.”
Attacks are increasing. The Washington Post, in a lengthy report Sunday, said its analysis shows ransomware attacks “more than doubled from 2019 to 2020.” The newspaper also said experts estimate hackers got $412 million in payments last year.