Maple Leaf Foods said it will not pay a ransom demand from cyber criminals who breached its computer systems in early November.
But JBS paid $11 million ransom to hackers in 2021. Two people in Romania were arrested.
The Maple Leaf hackers are threatening to release some company data if they are not paid, but the company told Meatingplace Magazine it won’t pay.
"The illegal acts that compromised our system and potentially put information at risk are intolerable and our company will not pay ransom to criminals," the company told Meatingplace in an email.
It said all of its plants continued to operate despite the incident, which caused a system outage. The systems were quickly restored.
Maple Leaf said it has invested significant resources in its security systems, takes the confidentiality and security of the information in its possession seriously, and is taking action to minimize any disruptions.
"We continue to coordinate with our customers, suppliers and other partners, and appreciate their ongoing cooperation and support as our operations return to normal," Maple Leaf said, adding, "We’re sorry this occurred and apologize for the frustration and challenges it may cause."
