The Candy Corn Has Been Hacked
Just in time for Halloween, a ransomware gang has targeted Ferrara Candy—the massive confectionary responsible for producing Brach’s well-known candy corn—the most OG of holiday treats.
Ferrara, which is based in Chicago, is responsible for 85 percent of the candy corn production in the country during the Halloween season—and reportedly churns out approximately seven billion pieces of the candy per year.
When reached for comment, Ferrara confirmed to Gizmodo that an attack had occurred on Oct. 9 that “encrypted some of our systems.” The company further stated that it was working together with law enforcement:
“Upon discovery, we immediately responded to secure all systems and commence an investigation into the nature and scope of this incident. Ferrara is cooperating with law enforcement and our technical team is working closely with third-party specialists to fully restore impacted systems as expeditiously and as safely as possible.”
The company further stated that it had resumed production in certain facilities and that it was “near to capacity” when it came to shipping from all of its distribution centers across the country. “We want to assure consumers that Ferrara’s Halloween products are on shelves at retailers across the country ahead of the holiday,” the company said.
When you go to the grocery store and grab yourself a giant feed-bag-sized sack of candy corn in preparation for trick-or-treaters, Brach’s is typically the brand you’ll be walking home with. Thus, a hack on Ferrara would appear to be nothing less than a hack on the very institution of Halloween itself.
G/O Media may get a commission
$30 off
Samsung Galaxy Watch 4
Keep tabs on your health
With a large emphasis on biometric health data, one key new feature is an enhancement to their sleep tracking.
Tbh, that’s pretty par for the course as far as this year goes—a year wherein pretty much everybody is getting hacked all the time and no institution is so sacred that it can’t be defiled by an asshole behind a keyboard. Over the past ten-ish months, ransomware gangs have repeatedly targeted large, high-profile companies in the energy sector, the food and beverage industry, tourism, software, insurance, and pretty much every other field of business you can think of. I guess it was only a matter of time before they came for the candy.