Jaguar Land Rover shuts production after major cyber attack
The shutdown has inflicted significant operational and financial strain on the automaker, which had been counting on strong seasonal demand to bolster sales.
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Tata Group-owned Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has been hit by a severe cyber attack that forced the luxury carmaker to shut down its IT systems, bringing production at key sites to a standstill and causing widespread disruption across its sales and supply chain.
The incident has paralysed operations at JLR’s main UK plants in Halewood, Solihull and Wolverhampton. It comes at a particularly sensitive time, coinciding with the release of new vehicle registration plates, traditionally a period of heightened demand. Customers have reported being unable to complete purchases, while delivery dates for existing orders remain indefinite, as per several reports.
The disruption extends far beyond JLR’s assembly lines. Suppliers have been forced to slow down output, and independent garages are unable to access databases to order parts, leaving many Jaguar and Land Rover owners facing uncertainty over repairs.
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A group calling itself Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters has claimed responsibility for the breach. While JLR has confirmed that an investigation is under way with the help of third-party cybersecurity specialists and law enforcement, the company stressed there was no evidence so far of customer or personal data being compromised.
The company acknowledged the scale of the disruption in a statement on its website - “We continue to work around the clock to restart our global applications in a controlled and safe manner following the recent cyber incident. We are working with third-party cybersecurity specialists and alongside law enforcement. We want to thank all our customers, partners, suppliers and colleagues for their patience and support. We are very sorry for the disruption this incident has caused. Our retail partners remain open and we will continue to provide further updates.”
The shutdown has inflicted significant operational and financial strain on the automaker, which had been counting on strong seasonal demand to bolster sales. For now, its focus remains on restoring systems and reassuring stakeholders shaken by the unprecedented attack.
