Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has already warned its suppliers on production plan. With those factories to reopen at the earliest on 24 September. Such actions were necessary after a major cyber incident forced the firm to take its IT infrastructure offline. As a result, production at all its plants came to a halt. Every single production line has been put on hold since September 1st. The subsequent downtime has led to a loss of approximately £50 million per week.
A cyber attack paralyzed JLR’s key production facilities in Solihull and Halewood more than two weeks ago. It severely affected the steam locomotive production facility in Wolverhampton. In addition to its UK facilities, JLR runs massive factories in Slovakia and China, along with a smaller plant in India. According to some industry insiders, the disruption could last through November. They’re under the impression that once they’re able to restart production it may be a few weeks before they’re back to normal operations.
Industry experts believe that the same perpetrators behind previous high-profile breaches are at it again. This crew was responsible for actions against retail giants such as Marks & Spencer and Co-op earlier this year. As to the data potentially breached, JLR has so far confirmed that data was accessed or stolen by unauthorized third parties.
The continued shuttering of production lines has alarmed many over damages inflicted on the UK’s engineering foundation. Right now, hundreds of thousands of people are employed in this space. Analysts warn that the shutdown might do permanent harm to this key economic sector.
Jason Richards, from Unite the union, warned that time was running out.
“We’re already seeing employers having discussions on potential redundancies. People have to pay rent, they have to pay mortgages and if they’re not getting any pay, what are they supposed to do?” – Jason Richards
The costs economic impact of the cyber attack are enormous. As of 24 September JLR will have missed three and a half weeks of production. The company’s ownership by Tata Motors adds further scrutiny to how this situation will be managed in the coming weeks.
Action speaks louder than words, wrote industry firebrand David Roberts in a piece calling for accountability for the attack.
“All of this is the fault of criminals. JLR is the victim here. We should remember who started this – and it wasn’t JLR.” – David Roberts
The implications of this cyber event reach much further than short-term financial impact. With potential job redundancies looming and uncertainty surrounding production timelines, employees face mounting pressure as they await updates from their employers. Since the cyber incidents, the automotive industry has been united in starkly combatting any such final outcome. This act further demonstrates the ongoing, immediate need for bold cybersecurity actions across every critical sector.