Workers at JLR plants instructed not to report until Tuesday due to a hack incident

Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is currently grappling with the fallout from a cyberattack that began on 1 September, causing production issues at its Halewood plant that are expected to last until at least Tuesday.

The hack, which has disrupted the company's operations in the UK, has been claimed by the hacking group Scattered Spider, also known as Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters. This marks the first time the group has targeted an automotive company.

On 3 September, Scattered Spider announced responsibility for the attack on JLR, causing seven weeks of disruption and costing Marks & Spencer £300 million in lost operating profit due to a similar hack earlier this year.

The cyberattack exploited a flaw in JLR's IT system, leading to the shutdown of systems on 1 September. Since then, production at the Halewood plant, where various Land Rover models are built, has been halted. The Solihull plant, where Range Rover and Range Rover Sport are manufactured, is also affected.

The hack is causing significant problems for dealers, who can't register new cars, order parts, or complete customer handovers. This disruption is particularly notable as 1 September is traditionally one of the year's busiest days for car registrations, known as 'new plate day.'

Despite the attack, JLR's public-facing website remains operational, including the car configurator. The company is in the process of rebuilding its systems but couldn't confirm a timescale for the fix.

Reports from The Telegraph suggest that Scattered Spider and another hacking group, Shiny Hunters, claim to have obtained customer data from JLR by exploiting a similar flaw in their IT system. A user linked to the hackers posted a screenshot of what appeared to show JLR's internal system on a Telegram messenger group.

Workers at the Halewood plant have been told not to return until 9 September. The notice was sent on 4 September, following the initial shutdown of production.

This cyberattack on JLR is a reminder of the increasing threat posed by hacking groups to businesses in various industries. JLR, like many companies, is working to address the issue and restore normal operations as quickly as possible.

Workers at JLR plants instructed not to report until Tuesday due to a hack incident