WOOD-TV provides a Michigan perspective on the JBS cyberattack

I concluded Cyberattack on meat processor JBS shows how the food supply is a national security issue by telling my readers "One of those plants is in Michigan, which means I might look at this story from a Michigan perspective next. Stay tuned." WOOD-TV in Grand Rapids has been covering this story closely, so I'm sharing the reports the station uploaded to its YouTube channel beginning with Cyberattack affects JBS meat processing in US, Australia.

Meat processing giant JBS has stopped production at at least one U.S. plant after it announced it was the target of an organized cybersecurity attack. (June 1, 2021)

As the videos I uploaded yesterday reported, six plants closed. The Plainwell, Michigan, plant was not one of them, as WOOD-TV reported in Meat producer JBS says expects most plants working Wednesday.


June 2, 2021
The temporarily closed Green Bay, Wisconsin, plant was among those closed and its sign provided the preview image for Expert: Ag industry not prepared to tackle cyberthreats even though none of the reporting was from there.


Raquel Martin reports from Washington, D.C, on June 2, 2021.
I agree with Susan Duncan of Virginia Tech that the federal government and food processors need to coordinate to protect the food supply. As she said, it's bad enough that there may be food shortages in 30 years because of increased population; we don't need corruption of the technologies used in distribution to make those worse.

President Biden and Press Secretary Jen Psaki weren't the only political figures to comment on the incident. WOOD-TV reported Sen. Peters reacts to recent cyber attacks while the senator was visiting Grand Rapids.


As I pointed out yesterday, this attack shows that the U.S. food system has become a 21st Century crime scene, a national security issue, and part of the nation's infrastructure. It always was, but now it's obvious. Criminals overseas and the governments of the countries they operate in recognize this, so it's time we do, too.

I might have more about this story, but I expect I will have a pandemic update first, as the prediction of 600,000 dead in the U.S. from COVID-19 by June 1, 2021 will likely be only a few days off. I expect the country will pass that grim milestone by the end of today. Stay tuned.