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JLR cyberattack compromises some customer data amid prolonged shutdown
JLR is the latest major UK business to suffer this year at the hands of hackers following cyberattacks at Marks & Spencer and other retailers.
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) on Wednesday said some customer data has been compromised after the Tata Motors Ltd.-owned British marquee was hit by a cyberattack that derailed production and sales.
The manufacturer of Range Rover and Land Rover SUVs has informed relevant regulators after discovering that some data was affected. British companies must inform the UK Information Commissioner’s Office if such information is stolen, or face fines.
“Our forensic investigation continues at pace and we will contact anyone as appropriate if we find that their data has been impacted,” Bloomberg quoted a JLR spokesperson as saying in a statement. “We are very sorry for the continued disruption this incident is causing and we will continue to update as the investigation progresses.”
JLR is the latest major UK business to suffer this year at the hands of hackers following cyber attacks at Marks & Spencer Group and other retailers. The company’s car plants in Halewood and Solihull and its Wolverhampton engine facility, as well as production facilities in Slovakia, China and India have been unable to operate since reports of the cyberattack first surfaced on 2 September.
JLR shut down its IT systems on 31 August, in response to the attack, but couldn’t prevent a major disruption to its operations. The company’s staff has been asked to stay at home until such a time that the impact has worn off.
The production stoppage has started affecting suppliers as well. BBC has learnt that some suppliers have asked their employees not to come to work until a resolution to the cyberattack is found. JLR’s dealerships too are unable to register new cars, and garages that maintain JLR cars are unable to order new parts.
A lengthy shutdown would be “concerning” for the business, Shaun Adams, who manages auto parts supplier Qualplast, told the BBC. “If this starts progressing over weeks, then we would have to seriously look at what we need to do future-proof.”
Under normal circumstances, JLR manufactures 1,000 cars a day.
According to the BBC, a group of young hackers—who were behind other attacks on UK firms including Marks & Spencer’s—have claimed responsibility for the JLR cyberattack. Within days of the attack, they bragged about it on Telegram.
The group wants to extort money from JLR—the company later told the BBC it was aware of the claims and was investigating the matter.
