Ransomware group BlackMatter is demanding $5.9 million from New Cooperative Inc., a Fort Dodge-based grain cooperative, following a ransomware attack around Sept. 17, Bloomberg reports. It is unclear how extensive the damage to New Cooperative’s systems is, but a post on BlackMatter’s website said the group stole financial information, human resources data, research and development information and source code for the cooperative’s “SoilMap” product. “New Cooperative recently identified a cybersecurity incident that is impacting some of our company’s devices and systems,” the cooperative said in a statement. “Out of an abundance of caution, we have proactively taken our systems offline to contain the threat, and we can confirm it has been successfully contained.” The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency didn’t immediately respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment, and New Cooperative said it is continuing to work with law enforcement to investigate the incident and restore functionality.
