JBS, the largest beef supplier in the world, paid the ransomware hackers who breached its computer networks about USD 11 million, the company said, writes NBC.

The company was hacked in May by REvil, one of a number of Russian-speaking hacker gangs, leading meat plants across the U.S. and Australia to shut down for at least a day. News of the payment was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

Like many other ransomware groups, REvil has made millions in recent years by hacking organizations, encrypting their files and demanding fees, often large bitcoin payments, in exchange for a decryptor program and a promise not to leak the files to the public.

In a statement, JBS indicated that while it was able to get most of its systems running without REvil"s help, it chose to pay to keep its files safe.