Cyber Attack on Jaguar Land Rover

Disruption of Production

Production in Jaguar Land Rover was "strongly interrupted" by a cyber attack. The British automobile manufacturer said that it was "at speed" to restart the production around the world "in a controlled way" after closing its systems when it noticed the attack.

Impact on Retail Activities

The retail activities were also influenced, but the company stated that there was no evidence that "customer data was stolen". This incident highlights the risks associated with cyber attacks in the automotive industry.

Risks and Costs

In the fast-moving world of automotive production, a car is more than just steel and software. It is a network of hundreds of suppliers who each have their own inherent risks. Data indicates that every hour of downtime in the automotive sector could cost more than $1.6 million. Every day of production held means fewer cars for sale, while retailers lose immediate income if they cannot register or deliver vehicles.

Recent Cyber Incidents

Jaguar Land Rover is the latest large-scale company in Britain to be affected by a cyber incident. Other retailers, such as M&S, have also disrupted their business due to cyber attacks. M&S only resumed click and bulk orders for clothing last month after it had suffered a big attack on the Easter weekend.

Rise of Cyber Attacks

Cyber security experts attribute the rise of cyber attacks to the change in the business model for criminals. They have switched to a model that is described as "ransomware-as-a-service". This means that wannabe hackers "no longer need the technical know-how" to start an attack. Instead, they can use powerful tools to carry out the attack and keep a majority of the profits, while the provider of the tools takes a smaller percentage.