Major potato packer hit with ransomware, hackers claim

Nokota Packers, a North Dakota-based potato processing company, has been on the radar of hackers in the hunt for ransom payers.

The company was listed on the J Group ransomware gang’s dark web leak site, which cybercrooks use to showcase their latest victims. Attackers claim they’ve obtained 50 gigabytes from the potato industry veteran.

We’ve reached out to the company and will update the article once we receive a reply.

Threat actors claim they’ve obtained various sensitive details from Nokota Packers, including personal data, financial information, and financial statements. The Cybernews research team attempted to investigate the data sample and concluded that attackers are trying to release all 50 gigabytes.

If confirmed, the attack could heighten cybersecurity risks for the company and its clients. For one, data leaks can attract attention from data privacy watchdogs. At the same time, if the stolen data involves customer data, they could be faced with an elevated risk of identity theft.

J Group ransomware is a fresh face in the cybercriminal underworld, first spotted in February 2025. However, the gang has been relatively active. According to Cybernews' dark web monitoring tool, Ransomlooker, J Group has already victimized at least 17 organizations.