American beverage manufacturer Coca-Cola has announced that one of its dairy products subsidiaries has been hacked and will cease operations for the time being. In a disclosure to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, the multinational giant said its dairy company, Fairlife, was hit by ransomware and its production systems were affected. The company announced that Fairlife production operations across the United States have been “temporarily suspended.”
Fairlife's operations in Canada are not affected.
Coca-Cola is one of the world's largest companies with products spanning carbonated soft drinks, water, and dairy products. The company's Fairlife dairy products are one of its major brands, with sales estimated at $4 billion by 2024.
Ransomware attacks against food and beverage companies can have a lasting impact. Previous incidents at Arizona Beverages in 2019 and food distribution giant UNFI last year disrupted their respective production lines for weeks, leaving grocery store shelves empty.
Coca-Cola has not said when Fairlife's systems will be restored.
Did you know about the Fairlife cyber attack? Do you work for the company? Please feel free to contact us. From your non-work device, you can contact Zack Whittaker securely in the Signal messaging app using the username zackwhittaker.1337.