Cyber Incident Victim: Sollio Groupe coopératif
Date:
Nov 2020
Location:
Canada
Summary
Sollio Groupe coopératif, Quebec’s largest agricultural cooperative, experienced a significant ransomware attack compromising substantial data, with threat actors threatening public release of stolen information. The incident impacted the organization’s subsidiaries, including Groupe BMR hardware stores and its farmer services division, while its controlled entity Olymel—previously targeted in an unrelated cyberattack—remained unaffected by this event. The cooperative became one of Quebec’s most prominent business victims of cybercrime that year due to the breach’s scale and operational disruptions.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actor | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 1 actor | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On November 7, 2020, Quebec-based agricultural cooperative Sollio Groupe coopératif, formerly known as La Coop fédérée, experienced a ransomware attack. Cybercriminals infiltrated the organization’s systems, exfiltrated a significant volume of data, and issued a public threat to release the stolen information unless their demands were met. The attackers imposed a deadline of less than two days for compliance, though the specific ransom amount or negotiation details were not disclosed in available reports. This incident marked Sollio as the largest business victim of a cyberattack in Quebec during 2020, underscoring its regional significance as the province’s dominant agricultural enterprise. The attack disrupted normal operations, though the exact nature of the operational impact—such as system downtime or service interruptions—was not detailed in the source material. Sollio’s status as a major player in the agricultural sector, with extensive supply chain and operational dependencies, heightened concerns about the potential consequences of the data breach.
The cooperative’s broad business portfolio included ownership of Groupe BMR, a hardware retail chain, and a substantial division providing services to farmers. Sollio also maintained control over Olymel, a major meat processing subsidiary that had itself been targeted in a separate cyberattack just one month prior, in October 2020. The ransomware group NetWalker was identified as responsible for the Sollio attack, though the technical methods of infiltration and specific systems compromised were not publicly documented. No verifiable information regarding data recovery efforts, incident containment protocols, or law enforcement engagement was provided in the source material. The incident highlighted the recurring cybersecurity challenges faced by large agricultural cooperatives and their subsidiaries, particularly given Sollio’s integrated operations across retail, farming services, and food production. The threatened data leak posed reputational and operational risks, though the actual publication of stolen data and its contents remained unconfirmed in available reporting.