Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has been compelled to suspend production and retail activities following a cyber assault that compromised its worldwide IT infrastructure, with workers at its Merseyside facility instructed to stay away.
The breach led Britain's largest automotive manufacturer to disconnect its systems as a preventative measure, as reported by .
In a statement, JLR said it was "working at pace to restart our global applications in a controlled manner" and stressed there was "no evidence" that customer data had been stolen.
Communications dispatched to personnel at Halewood verified that shifts had been scrapped and hours allocated under the facility's corridor arrangement.
Whilst certain specialist employees are being retained, manufacturing operatives were instructed to stay home.
IT blackout amid º£½ÇÊÓƵ cyber spree
The interruption arrives at a crucial juncture for the business.
Retailers informed Autocar they were prevented from registering fresh vehicles on 1 September, when new 75 registration plates were introduced, traditionally amongst the most hectic periods in the motoring sector's yearly schedule.
JLR's owner Tata acknowledged the breach in documentation submitted to the Indian stock market, describing it as an "IT security incidence".
The corporation has not disclosed additional information regarding the assault's characteristics or the potential duration of system downtime.
The strike against JLR comes after numerous prominent cyber breaches targeting the º£½ÇÊÓƵ retail industry throughout the summer months. Co-op last confirmed a breach in its membership platform in May, impacting up to 6.5 million customers, while Marks & Spencer informed MPs that an April cyberattack had cost the company £300m.
Data from Abnormal AI indicates a distinct seasonal trend in retail-focused cyberattacks, with the second quarter consistently witnessing a surge as criminals take advantage of busy trading periods.
The National Crime Agency has recently intensified investigations into ransomware groups suspected of targeting º£½ÇÊÓƵ businesses.
In June, it apprehended four individuals accused of launching attacks on major retailers including Harrods and M&S.
For JLR, the immediate priority is to restore production and retail systems.
However, with the extent of the attack still uncertain, questions linger about the resilience of º£½ÇÊÓƵ manufacturing firms in the face of escalating costs associated with cyber crime.
