Why JLR's production in the UK has taken a hit
What's the story
Jaguar Land Rover (JLR), one of the UK's largest carmakers and a subsidiary of Tata Motors, has suffered a major cyberattack. The incident has "severely disrupted" its manufacturing and retail operations across its two main UK plants. In response to the attack, JLR took immediate action by shutting down its systems in an attempt to minimize any potential damage.
Incident details
Attack detected in real-time
The cyberattack hit JLR on Sunday, just as a new batch of registration plates was being issued. The company detected the attack in real-time and proactively shut down its IT systems to limit potential damage. However, the attack has severely disrupted both its retail and production activities. Despite the disruption, JLR has confirmed that there is no evidence of customer data being stolen in this incident.
Operational impact
Workers at both locations were informed via email
The cyberattack has had a major impact on JLR's operations at its Halewood plant in Merseyside and another manufacturing facility at Solihull. Employees at both locations were informed via email not to report for work due to the incident. The company said it is working swiftly to resume its global applications in a controlled manner.
Market reaction
Tata Motors shares fell
Following the announcement of a cyber incident at JLR, shares in Tata Motors fell by 0.9% in Mumbai. The company told investors that it is "working at pace to resolve global IT issues impacting our business." Oakley Cox, a Director at UK cybersecurity firm Darktrace, noted that JLR's swift decision to halt manufacturing suggests this attack could have been aimed at their operational systems rather than just customer data.
Previous incidents
Similar attacks on UK retail businesses
The cyberattack on JLR comes after similar crippling attacks on famous UK retail businesses such as Marks & Spencer and the Co-op. In both cases, hackers tried to extort money.