2021 Ferrara Candy (Ferrero Group US subsidiary) — ransomware; production outages before Halloween season
Data compromised
Operational systems; regulatory notices reference potential removal of files from certain environments—categories vary by notice
Technical writeup
Ferrara Candy Company, a Ferrero Group U.S. confectionery subsidiary (Brach’s, Nerds, etc.), confirmed ransomware disrupted manufacturing and order fulfillment in early–mid October 2021, prompting localized plant downtime ahead of Halloween. Chicago Tribune, NBC News, Dark Reading, and state breach-style PDF notices (e.g., Maine attorney-general filings) described investigation, law-enforcement coordination, and in some filings unauthorized access/exfiltration allegations consistent with double-extortion patterns. This BreachHistory row maps to the `ferrero` directory slug because Ferrara lacks a separate company key.
Root cause
Ransomware attack against Ferrara Candy operational IT (company-confirmed in mainstream press)