"Ransomware Suspected in Wiltshire Farm Foods Attack"

A leading UK producer of frozen ready meals has revealed its systems are currently down after experiencing a serious cyberattack.  Wiltshire Farm Foods said on Sunday that it is “currently experiencing severe difficulties” with its computer systems.  Although the company released few other details about the attack, security experts were quick to single out the cause on social media.  Many experts agreed that ransomware must have been the culprit.  The ready meals producer, which is owned by parent company Apetito, said it hopes to get back on track by next week.  Although Wiltshire Farm Foods is a relatively small UK manufacturer, its parent company Apetito is a German-based frozen food giant with revenues exceeding €1bn.  The adversaries knew this, so they targeted the smaller company hoping the parent company would decide to pay a large ransom.   Jonathan Knudsen, head of global research at the Synopsys Cybersecurity Research Center, argued that every company is a software company today and must therefore embrace a more proactive approach to cybersecurity.  Knudsen also stated that organizations must recognize that the software they use daily is part of their infrastructure, just like office buildings, stores, or factories.  As such, organizations need to select, deploy, and operate software with an eye toward security at every step.

Infosecurity reports: "Ransomware Suspected in Wiltshire Farm Foods Attack"