Norwegian recycling giant Tomra dealing with ‘extensive’ cyberattack

Norwegian recycling and mining corporation Tomra is in the midst of an “extensive” cyberattack affecting its systems.

The company — which earned more than $300 million in the last quarter from its business in the recycling, mining and food sectors — published a statement on Monday announcing the cyberattack.

“TOMRA has been targeted by an extensive cyberattack directly affecting some of the company’s data systems. Relevant authorities have been informed, and all available internal and external resources have been mobilized to contain and neutralize the incident,” the company said in a release.

“The attack was discovered on the morning of July 16, and immediate actions were taken to stop it and mitigate consequences. We immediately disconnected some systems to contain the attack, and TOMRA is currently assessing whether customers and employees might experience reduced stability in our services.”

The company did not respond to requests for comment about whether it was a ransomware attack but said its primary focus is to “get all systems up and running again as fast as possible.”

The company will continue to provide updates and liaise with stakeholders as it deals with the incident.

No hacking group had taken credit for the attack as of Monday afternoon.

Tomra builds automated tools for a range of industries but is most well known for its machines that collect metal, plastic, and glass beverage packages for recycling. The company is also heavily involved in waste and metal recycling, mining and food production.

If it is confirmed to be a ransomware attack, the incident would be the latest in a string of incursions targeted at organizations involved in mining and food.

There have been several attacks on mining and metals companies like Copper Mountain Mining, and the food sector has been under near constant attack.

Major food industry companies like Dole, Sysco, Mondelez, Americold, Maple Leaf Foods as well as several fast food chains have dealt with cyberattacks and ransomware incidents over the last year.

Ransomware gangs have increasingly gone after food and beverage supply chain companies, with 52 ransomware attacks on the industry in 2022, according to the incident response firm Dragos.