A panel addressing the online 2020 National Grain and Feed Association (NGFA) Country Elevator Conference Dec. 9 addressed the issue of cybersecurity and, particularly, the danger of ransomware and ways to prevent it from damaging company computer networks.

Greg Beck, NGFA first vice chairman and senior vice president-grain division at CGB Enterprises, Mandeville, LA, provided an example of a devastating cyberattack at his company.

The ransomware attack came in June 2020 at 2 a.m. through some malware that had gotten into CGB computer systems at some earlier date.

“By 5 a.m., most of our scales were inoperable,” Beck said.

“We couldn’t dump trucks, print checks, or hedge. IT shut everything down, and everything had to be done manually.

"That included physically calling Chicago to manage our hedge positions and physically write scale tickets and checks.”

CGB did not pay any ransom, but rebuilding its digital systems was an expensive eight-week process.

“We ordered 344 new laptops for employees and IT had to rebuild the digital controls scale by scale,” Beck said.

He offered these lessons learned:

  • Know where your sensitive customer data is and who has access to it.
  • Train employees on manual procedures, in the event digital capabilities are lost.
  • Have manual scale tickets as a backup.
  • Have manual checks as a backup.
  • Separate PLCs from computer networks.
  • Never use old computers for controlling scales, video cameras, or PLCs.
  • Be diligent about employing phishing tests for employees, and follow up with those who flunk.

Heather Hughes, vice president of the consulting firm Stroz Friedberg, New York, NY, noted that ransomware often enters computer systems in the form of a phishing attack It can affect not only a single company’s systems, but also can spread to systems operated by vendors or customers and can lead to litigation.

She offered these proactive steps companies should consider:

  • Do regular comprehensive cybersecurity training, including phishing and ransomware, for all employees.
  • Require multi-factor authentication to access computer systems.
  • Ensure that computer systems have offline or cloud backup. If your regular systems use encryption, you still have backup systems you can use.
  • Install computer monitoring.
  • Have an internal response plan for cyberattacks, including a team of individuals who are responsible for response and recovery.
  • Never negotiate or communicate with hackers. Leave that to the professionals.