Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has experienced a cyber-attack that has “severely disrupted” vehicle production, impacting its primary UK manufacturing facilities.
The company, a subsidiary of India’s Tata Motors, stated it implemented immediate countermeasures to mitigate the breach and is actively working to restore operations.
JLR’s retail operations have also been significantly affected; however, the company indicates that there is currently no evidence of customer data compromise.
The cyber-attack, which began on Sunday, occurs during a crucial period for UK automotive sales, coinciding with the release of the latest vehicle registration plates on September 1st.
This period traditionally sees a surge in new vehicle deliveries to consumers.
Sources indicate that the attack was detected in progress, prompting the company to shut down its IT infrastructure to contain the potential damage.
Employees at JLR’s Halewood plant in Merseyside were reportedly instructed via email on Monday morning not to report to work, while others were sent home, as initially reported by the Liverpool Echo.
Reports suggest the cyber-attack has also impacted JLR’s other major UK manufacturing facility in Solihull, with personnel also being dismissed.
The identity of the responsible parties remains unknown. This incident follows similar attacks on prominent UK retailers, including the Co-op and Marks and Spencer.
In those instances, the perpetrators sought financial extortion.
In 2023, JLR entered into a 5-year, £800 million ($1070 million) agreement with Tata Consultancy Services, a sister company, to provide cybersecurity and various IT solutions, aiming to “accelerate digital transformation across its business.”
In a formal statement, JLR acknowledged: “JLR has been impacted by a cyber incident. We took immediate action to mitigate its impact by proactively shutting down our systems.”
“We are now working at pace to restart our global applications in a controlled manner.”
“At this stage there is no evidence any customer data has been stolen but our retail and production activities have been severely disrupted”
While JLR’s statement refers to a “cyber incident,” a separate disclosure by Tata Motors to the Bombay Stock Exchange cited an “IT security incidence” causing “global” disruptions.
The production halt represents a further setback for JLR, which recently reported a decline in profits attributed to increased costs stemming from US tariffs.
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