Car Manufacturer JLR Postpones Production Following Cyber Assault
Jaguar Land Rover Extends Production Pause Amidst Cyber-Attack
In a significant development, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has announced an extension of its production pause until at least September 24 due to a cyber-attack. The attack, which occurred on September 10, has caused disruptions in the company's supply chain and affected some data.
The cyber-attack has targeted the interconnected third-party systems that receive updates for stock deliveries for vehicles being manufactured at JLR sites. This operational disruption has resulted in supply chain disruptions for firms that support the luxury car maker, causing concern for many businesses reliant on JLR for contracts.
Trevor Dearing, director of critical infrastructure at Illumio, commented that the prolonged downtime will mean that cashflows will dry up fast for suppliers, potentially leading to damage for JLR and the supply chain. Simon Chassar, interim COO at cybersecurity firm e2e-assure, stated that it will take weeks to fully restart JLR and get back to pre-cyber-attack levels, but with updated cyber protections and patches to limit a follow-on attack.
Unite, a British workers union, has called for the UK government to provide a furlough scheme for those at risk of losing their jobs due to the incident. Some supply chain workers at JLR have already been laid off as a result of the attack. However, it is worth noting that the jobs of JLR employees have not been affected.
The cyber-attack at JLR was claimed by the group "Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters," who reportedly exploited a known vulnerability in SAP NetWeaver software. A cybercriminal group linked to Scattered Spider has claimed responsibility for the incident, operating under the moniker Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters, a possible collaboration between Scattered Spider, ShinyHunters, and Lapsus$.
Chassar also noted that the cyber-attack at JLR serves as a wake-up call for other manufacturers, as cybercriminals are targeting operational resilience in manufacturing for financial gain. He urged other manufacturers to strengthen their cybersecurity measures to prevent similar incidents.
Tata, the parent company of JLR, has a financial safety net that many other organizations do not have, which may help JLR navigate through this challenging period. However, the cyber-attack may result in some businesses not being there to restart when JLR comes back online, slowing and making recovery more painful.
As the situation unfolds, it is clear that the cyber-attack at JLR has caused significant disruptions in the automotive industry. The company and its supply chain partners are working diligently to recover and restore operations, but the road to recovery may be long and challenging.
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