Russian hackers behind cyberattack on JLR last year: Report
What's the story
The massive cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) last year was carried out by a group of Russian hackers, according to The New York Times. The attack had a major impact on production and the UK economy as a whole. The UK government even had to step in with a bailout package worth £1.5 billion (around $2 billion) to help JLR recover from the financial repercussions of the breach.
Economic impact
Attack cost UK economy $2.5 billion
The cyberattack on JLR didn't just hurt the company, but also the British economy as a whole. The attack is estimated to have cost the UK economy around $2.5 billion. For months, there was speculation about who was behind this major breach until recent reports pointed to a group of Russian hackers as the culprits.
Investigation details
Hackers' links to Russia still unclear
While the hacking group has been identified as Russian, it is still unclear whether they were acting on behalf of Vladimir Putin's government or were independent criminals. Microsoft had been tracking this group and informed JLR about their identities, The Times reports. The investigation was also aided by the FBI, Britain's National Crime Agency and National Cyber Security Centre, Google's Mandiant unit, and Palo Alto Networks.