A cyber attack on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) has been estimated to incur costs of approximately £1.9 billion, marking it as a significant financial event in UK history, according to the Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC). The attack disrupted JLR’s production, which ceased on September 1 for five weeks, leading to considerable delays in the supply chain.
The CMC reports that around 5,000 businesses have been impacted by this incident, and full recovery is not projected until January 2026. JLR has not publicly commented on the CMC’s assessment but mentioned that it is gradually restoring parts of its manufacturing operations.
The CMC, an independent organization focused on the financial ramifications of cyber events in the UK, has classified the JLR incident as a Category 3 event, indicating significant severity. The most severe classification, Category 5, is not applicable in this case. Ciaran Martin, chair of the CMC’s technical committee, emphasized the need for organizations to improve their cybersecurity measures and plan for potential disruptions.
The JLR hack, which initiated in late August, resulted in an IT shutdown affecting global manufacturing operations, including key UK sites. Dealers encountered system outages, and suppliers faced order cancellations and delays. The estimated total cost from the incident ranges between £1.6 billion and £2.1 billion, with JLR projected to bear over half of the costs, including lost earnings and recovery expenses.
The CMC notes that its estimates are based on assumptions, as JLR has not disclosed the specific nature of the cyber attack. Recovery efforts can vary greatly depending on the type of attack—ransomware and wiper attacks pose different levels of difficulty in restoration. Following the incident, an unverified group of hackers purportedly linked to earlier high-profile attacks claimed responsibility for the breach. Notably, the CMC’s estimates do not incorporate any potential ransom payments JLR may have made. Previously, the CMC categorized a series of retail hacks as a Category 2 event, with costs estimated between £270 million and £440 million.
Source: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy9pdld4y81o?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss