Julia Ewan/The Washington Post
- Ferrara Candy, a popular manufacturer of candy corn, was hacked earlier this month.
- The hack encrypted some of its systems and caused delays, the candy company said.
- The availability of Halloween candy should not be impacted by the attack, Ferrara told Insider.
Candy manufacturer Ferrara Candy was hacked by a ransomeware gang earlier this month.
Ferrara, which produces sweets such as Sweeet Tarts, Nerds, Trolli gummy worms, Brach's Candy Corn, and much more, was hacked on October 9 and it encrypted some of its systems, Ferrara confirmed to Insider on Thursday.
The Chicago-based confectionary is now working with authorities to resume producing at full capacity, it said.
Ferrara is responsible for 85% of candy corn production in the US for Halloween, according to reporting on the hack by Gizmodo.
Ferrara does not anticipate the ransomware attack will impact the availability of its Halloween candy, it said.
"We have resumed production in select manufacturing facilities, and we are shipping from all of our distribution centers across the country, near to capacity. We are also now working to process all orders in our queue," Ferrara said in a statement. "We want to assure consumers that Ferrara's Halloween products are on shelves at retailers across the country ahead of the holiday."
The candy company ships Halloween candy in early August to ensure retailers can stock their shelves before the spooky holiday, the company told the Chicago Tribune.
Ferrara was founded in 1908 by Italian immigrant Salvatore Ferrara and refers to itself as the "#1 Player in Non-Chocolate Seasonal Confections," according to its website. Ferrara says Halloween brings in about $4.5 billion in sales every year. This year, Halloween chocolate and candy sales have hit $324 million so far, according to CandyStore.com and Today. That is an increase of 48% compared to 2020 and an increase of 59.8% since 2019 according to the data.
Ransomware and company-wide hacks have become more common for bad actors since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. Last year, the FBI reported a 300% increase in the number of cyber crimes reported, warning people and corporations need to be extra cautious, according to The Hill.