Data Breach Forces Jaguar Land Rover to Shut Down Key Systems

Jaguar Land Rover recently revealed a data security breach that compelled the company to shut down multiple systems, disrupting its day-to-day operations.

 

Since being acquired from Ford in 2008, Jaguar Land Rover has operated as a unified company, JLR, under the ownership of Tata Motors, India. The company generates annual revenues exceeding $38 billion (£29 billion), produces over 400,000 vehicles each year, and employs approximately 39,000 people worldwide."

 

On August 2, in a data security incident notice published on its website, Jaguar Land Rover said it recently was a victim of a cyber attack that affected the company’s internal network. The automobile manufacturer immediately launched an investigation, with assistance from external cyber security experts, to determine the nature and scope of the incident.

 

The company also implemented measures to secure the affected systems and temporarily shut down several critical systems to minimise the impact of the cyberattack.

 

“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,” JLR said.

 

Although the incident appears to have had a considerable and potentially far-reaching impact on the automakers’ production and retail operations, the security incident notice emphasised that, based on currently available information, customer data was most likely not compromised or affected in any way.

 

“At this stage there is no evidence any customer data has been stolen but our retail and

production activities have been severely disrupted,” JLR added.

 

BleepingComputer reported that significant disruptions to JLR’s operations originated from UK dealers who were unable to register new vehicles or supply parts at service centres. In response to media inquiries, JLR confirmed that a cyberattack occurred over the weekend, forcing the shutdown of multiple systems, including those at the Solihull production plant. This is where popular models like the Land Rover Discovery, Range Rover, and Range Rover Sport are built.

 

The company has not provided a timeline for when normal operations will resume, nor have they disclosed any details regarding the nature of the attack.