Alexander Tkachev’s agricultural complex was attacked by a malware
JSC Firm Agrokompleks im. N.I. Tkachev” is one of the largest agricultural enterprises in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), Kommersant reported. Production as of April 2024 is owned by the family of the former Minister of Agriculture Alexandra Tkacheva.
Alexander TkachevAccording to one of the publication’s interlocutors, the attackers carried out a large-scale attack on all the company‘s IT systems. As a result of the incident, data on the agricultural complex’s servers was stolen and encrypted with malicious software. The holding’s website did not work on April 8 and 9, 2024. At the Agrocomplex named after. N.I. Tkachev confirmed that a technical failure caused by a hacker attack led to the need to make changes and restore systems. The Information Security (IS) team is working to resolve the impact and expects normal operations to be restored within 3-5 days. The holding emphasizes that this incident will not affect the supply of products to the population and partners.
According to the information, the main goal of the hackers was not so much to stop the company‘s work as a ransom for the stolen data. According to Kommersant source, hackers demanded payment of about 500 million rubles. The company refused to comment on the fact of the ransom demand on April 10, 2024.
Opinion of information security experts
Experts note that ransomware viruses are increasingly used for complex cyber attacks on Russian businesses. Attackers could gain access to data from Agrocomplex named after. N.I. Tkachev” through various methods, such as phishing emails, vulnerabilities in public applications, or incorrectly configured RDP ports that provide remote access to the system. These 2024 security weaknesses could serve as an opportunity for data breaches, and measures should be taken to prevent and detect them to protect the data. Hackers targeted the agricultural sector due to its financial stability and high likelihood of ransom payment, according to experts. According to the information security specialist, the cyber attack was not noticed and no containment measures were taken, as a result of which hackers were able to gain access to the IT infrastructure of the Agrocomplex named after. N.I. Tkachev”.
Ransomware virus
Ransomware is a program that can lock your computer and then demand a ransom to decrypt your data. In most cases in 2024, ransomware infections occur as follows. First, the malware gains access to the device. Depending on the type of virus, either the entire operating system or individual files are encrypted. A ransom is then demanded from the victim. If owners want to minimize the risk of this type of virus attack, then they should use high-quality protection software.
Large production
JSC Firm Agrokompleks im. N.I. Tkachev” for 2022 ranked third in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). It also became the leader in land growth for 2021. First place in the ranking of the largest landowners was taken by the Miratorg company – 1.1 million hectares. In second place is Prodimex – 900 thousand hectares. In March 2022, production became the leader in the ranking of the most expensive land in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), compiled by Forbes.
The value of the lands of a group of companies owned by the former governor of Kuban and ex-head of the Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation (*country sponsor of terrorism) Alexander Tkachev is estimated at 152.1 billion rubles. In 2023, the land bank of the agricultural holding reached 1.2 million hectares. At the same time, the company’s revenue amounted to 84.53 billion rubles, and net profit reached 13.86 billion rubles.
According to Kommersant, JSC Firm Agrokompleks im. N.I. Tkachev” was founded in 1993 in the Vyselkovsky district of the Krasnodar Territory.
The founder of the enterprise was the father of the ex-governor of Kuban and former head of the Russian Ministry of Agriculture Alexander Tkachev – Nikolay Tkachev.
At the end of 2022, the general director of the enterprise is Evgeniy Khvorostina. The Agrocomplex group of companies includes more than 60 companies producing agricultural goods. Net profit of JSC Firm “Agrocomplex named after. N.I. Tkachev” in 2021 amounted to 8.6 billion rubles. This is 3.2 times more than in 2020. Revenue for the same period amounted to 71.8 billion rubles, an increase of 25.4% over the year.
