Brazil-based JBS SA said on Monday that it was the target of an organized cyberattack that had affected servers supporting North American and Australian IT operations. A White House spokeswoman later said the meat producer had been hit by a ransomware attack “from a criminal organization likely based in Russia” and that the FBI was investigating.

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The disruption to JBS is the latest reminder of the existential threat posed by ransomware. Once considered a mere nuisance, ransomware has evolved into a parasite that kills its host, as the scourge increasingly chokes infrastructure and services that are critical to safe and normal operations for millions of people.