Toyota shuts down Japanese factories after a suspected cyber attack

 

The world’s best-selling carmaker Toyota Motor Corp has decided to shut down the operation of 28 lines at all 14 domestic factories in Japan on Tuesday after a suspected cyber attack hit one of the suppliers, Kojima Industries Corp, which provides plastic parts and electronic components to Toyota.

 

A spokesperson at Kojima said it appeared to have been the victim of a cyber attack. On Sunday, Kojima shut down its computer systems after discovering it was infected with a virus and receiving threatening messages. The parts maker is in contact with relevant police and government authorities and is trying to restore its system.

 

A spokesperson from Toyota described it as a “supplier system failure.” The shutdown will affect some plants operated by Toyota-affiliated Hino Motors and Daihatsu Motor and will halt about a third of the company’s global production.

 

The attack comes as Japan joins Western allies in retaliating against Russia for invading Ukraine. On Sunday, Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida announced that Japan would join the United States and other countries in blocking the SWIFT international payment system for some Russian banks, potentially preventing Vladimir Putin’s government from accessing billions of dollars worth of reserves. He also stated that Japan would provide $100 million in emergency aid to Ukraine.

 

However, no information about who was behind the possible attack or the motive is available. Kishida stated that his government would look into the incident and determine whether or not Russia was involved. Toyota’s efforts to resume full production after factory halts in January and February due to chip shortages and Covid-related disruptions were hampered by the incident.

 

Toyota manufactures about a third of its products in Japan. This year’s production goal is 8.5 million vehicles. The closure is expected to delay this by about 13,000 vehicles. Toyota planned to produce 950,000 vehicles in March, up from 843,393 a year earlier.