Jaguar Land Rover factory workers have been told to stay at home until at least next Tuesday as the luxury carmaker battles a major cyber attack. Production has been paused at factories in Halewood on Merseyside and Solihull in the West Midlands, as well as the engine manufacturing site in Wolverhampton.
Production workers cannot return to work until September 9, with the situation under review. The UK car manufacturer, owned by India's Tata Motors, revealed on Tuesday that production and sales have been "severely disrupted" following the hack.
Attack disrupts operations
The company shut down systems on Sunday after becoming aware of issues affecting its global operations. The attack is also affecting vehicle repairs, as dealerships and garages cannot order new parts, while some customer handovers are impacted.
The cyber attack comes at a crucial time for car firms, with September traditionally boosting demand for new motors when the latest registration plates are released. It represents the latest setback for JLR as it deals with US tariffs on the sector and weak consumer confidence.
Hackers claim responsibility
A group of young hackers who targeted Marks and Spencer and other British brands reportedly claimed on Wednesday they were behind the JLR attack. The BBC reported that the gang bragged about the hack on instant messaging platform Telegram and shared screenshots purporting to be from the car manufacturer's internal IT system.
The gang made the claims on a Telegram channel called Scattered LapsusS Hunters, a combination of three English-speaking hacking groups known as Scattered Spider, LapsusS and ShinyHunters. Scattered Spider has been blamed for attacks on British retailers earlier this year, after which M&S stopped online sales for around six weeks and warned the incident could cost around £300 million.
Security response
Four young people were arrested for their suspected involvement in the April attacks and have been bailed. JLR said it was "working at pace" to restart operations across retail and production sites, stressing there was "no evidence" that any customer data has been stolen.
Matt Western, MP and chairman of the joint committee on the National Security Strategy, called on firms to boost their defences following the latest hack. He said: "These latest attacks demonstrate that cybercrime is an organised and potent threat to UK plc. Criminals are targeting some of the UK's most visible businesses and causing huge economic disruption. We must be prepared for the possibility of future attacks that put vital supply chains in the firing line. Government cannot do this alone; businesses must bolster their own defences too."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
