The company said its Canadian production facilities have not been affected by the incident, and Fairlife product safety hasn’t been compromised.
WASHINGTON — Fairlife has temporarily suspended milk production at its U.S. facilities after a ransomware attack compromised part of the dairy company’s computer systems.
Fairlife’s parent company, The Coca-Cola Company, announced the ransomware attack in a July 16 statement. Coca-Cola said an unauthorized third party gained access to a portion of Fairlife’s systems, including production-related systems, during what it described as a ransomware event.
The company said it activated its incident response and business continuity plans immediately after detecting the breach and has brought in outside cybersecurity experts to assist with the investigation. Law enforcement has also been notified, they said.
“The full scope, nature and impacts of the incident are not yet known,” the company said in its statement on Thursday.
Fairlife U.S. production paused
As a result of the cyberattack, Fairlife has temporarily suspended production operations in the United States while it works to restore affected systems.
The company said its Canadian production facilities have not been affected by the incident.
Despite the disruption, Coca-Cola emphasized that product quality and safety have not been compromised.
“The company is working diligently to complete the investigation and restore the systems and impacted operations,” the statement said.
Coca-Cola did not disclose when the attack occurred, whether any customer or employee information was affected, or whether the attackers had demanded a ransom.
Ransomware is a form of malicious software that blocks access to computer systems, files or networks until a ransom payment is made. Such attacks have increasingly targeted manufacturers and other critical industries, disrupting operations even when product safety is unaffected.
Fairlife said its investigation remains ongoing as it works to determine the full extent of the incident and resume normal production.
Fairlife, based in Chicago, touts over $3 billion in annual retail sales today. The company produces a range of lactose-free products — which beyond milk, includes protein shakes.
