Plants stay offline longer
Jaguar Land Rover will keep its British factories closed until at least Wednesday. The company is still dealing with the aftermath of a cyber attack that struck more than a week ago.
The Halewood and Solihull plants and the Wolverhampton engine site remain shut, along with facilities in Slovakia, China and India. Production workers have been told to stay home.
The firm switched off its IT systems on 31 August to shield them from damage. That decision triggered widespread disruption.
Race to restore systems
Jaguar Land Rover says teams are working day and night to safely restart its networks. Cybersecurity experts from outside the company and law enforcement are assisting.
Last Thursday management told staff to remain at home until at least Tuesday while efforts continued to stabilise operations.
The company, owned by India’s Tata Motors, has not responded to reports that disruption could stretch on for weeks.
Suppliers feel the strain
Jaguar Land Rover usually produces around 1,000 cars a day. The shutdown has hit suppliers hard. Some are said to have already told their own staff to stay away from work.
The disruption reaches far beyond the production lines. Dealers initially could not register new vehicles, and garages could not order spare parts. Temporary solutions are now in place for some tasks.
The attack struck at a difficult moment. New licence plates were released in early September, traditionally a popular time for car deliveries.
Supplier worries grow
Shaun Adams, who runs the parts supplier Qualplast, warned of serious challenges if the stoppage drags on. A shutdown lasting weeks would force his company to rethink future planning.
Hacker group claims responsibility
A young hacker group, already linked to attacks on other UK companies, claimed responsibility for the strike. One earlier target was a large retailer.
The group boasted on Telegram just days after the breach. Security experts believe the attackers accessed sensitive data.
Investigators think the hackers tried to extort money. Jaguar Land Rover said it is aware of the claims and continues to investigate.
