Por Renan Filho · 2026-11-05**Lead**
A former FBI agent with decades of experience in cybercrime investigations has issued a stark warning: cyberattacks on grocery stores and food supply chains represent a form of “psychological warfare” that could be deployed against the United States. The warning comes amid a rising tide of ransomware and supply-chain intrusions that have already disrupted critical infrastructure, from meatpacking plants to fuel pipelines. The former agent, who spoke on condition of anonymity due to ongoing consulting work, told FORTIS NEWS that the grocery sector is uniquely vulnerable because even a short disruption can trigger panic buying, hoarding, and a breakdown of public trust.
**Context**
Grocery stores are the final link in a complex, digitized supply chain that stretches from farms to distribution centers to checkout counters. Cybercriminals have increasingly targeted this ecosystem. In 2021, a ransomware attack on JBS, the world’s largest meat processor, temporarily shut down plants across North America and Australia, causing meat shortages and price spikes. In 2022, a cyberattack on the Dole Food Company disrupted salad production and shipping. While those incidents involved large food producers, experts warn that the next target could be the retail point-of-sale (POS) systems or inventory management platforms that keep grocery shelves stocked.
The former FBI agent highlighted that grocery stores often run on legacy software, with limited cybersecurity budgets compared to banks or defense contractors. Many chains rely on third-party vendors for payment processing, refrigeration monitoring, and logistics, creating multiple entry points for attackers. “If you take down the POS system of a major grocery chain in a metropolitan area, you don’t just stop sales—you stop the flow of fresh food, you disrupt deliveries, and you create a visible, immediate impact on consumers,” the agent said. “That’s the psychological component. People see empty shelves and they panic.”
The warning aligns with recent alerts from the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the FBI, which have noted an increase in ransomware attacks targeting the food and agriculture sector. In a joint advisory published earlier this year, the agencies warned that threat actors are “increasingly targeting large, concentrated industries where a single disruption can cause cascading effects.” The grocery sector, with its just-in-time inventory model and thin profit margins, fits that description perfectly.
**Analise**
The term “psychological warfare” is not hyperbole, according to the former agent. State-sponsored hacking groups, particularly those linked to Russia and Iran, have long studied how to exploit societal vulnerabilities without triggering a military response. A cyberattack that causes food shortages in a major city could erode confidence in government institutions, fuel social unrest, and distract law enforcement and intelligence agencies. “You don’t need to blow up a power plant to create chaos,” the former agent explained. “You just need to make people afraid that they won’t be able to feed their families. That fear spreads faster than any malware.”
The potential for such an attack is not theoretical. In 2023, a ransomware group known as BlackCat (ALPHV) claimed responsibility for an attack on a major US grocery chain, though the company declined to confirm the extent of the disruption. More recently, a series of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks targeted grocery delivery services in the United Kingdom, causing delays and cancellations. While those incidents were relatively contained, they demonstrated the sector’s fragility.
The psychological impact is compounded by the fact that grocery stores are a daily touchpoint for most Americans. Unlike a pipeline or a hospital, a grocery store is a place of routine and comfort. When that routine is broken—by empty shelves, long lines, or failed payment systems—the emotional response is visceral. “It’s not just about the data,” the former agent said. “It’s about the perception of safety. If people feel they can’t get food, they lose trust in the system. That’s exactly what an adversary wants.”
**Fontes**
This article is based on an interview with a former FBI agent who specialized in cybercrime investigations and who spoke on condition of anonymity. Additional information was drawn from public advisories issued by the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including the joint “Ransomware Attacks on Critical Infrastructure” alert published in 2024. Reports on the JBS and Dole ransomware attacks were sourced from verified news outlets and government statements. No specific data points or percentages were used in this article to avoid reliance on unverified figures.