Cyberattack-Hit JLR Says Recovery Programme Underway, Systems Coming Back Online

Jaguar Land Rover, owned by Tata Motors, on Thursday said that parts of its digital infrastructure are back in operation, as the company pushes ahead with recovery efforts following its recent cyber incident.

In a statement to NDTV Profit, the automaker said “sections of our digital estate are now up and running” and that the “foundational work of our recovery programme is firmly underway.”

JLR added that efforts are being made to clear the backlog of payments to suppliers at the earliest, signalling a return to normalcy across its operations. The company’s Global Parts Logistics Centre has resumed near full operations, ensuring parts supply and distribution begin to stabilise.

Crucially, the financial system used to process wholesales of vehicles is back online, allowing JLR to sell and register vehicles for customers more quickly.

The company noted that it would provide an update on the financial impact of the cyber incident in due course, as part of its formal reporting cycle.

JLR had faced operational disruptions earlier this month due to the cyberattack, which had affected its IT and payments systems. The cyber-attack, reported in early September, had forced JLR to pause its production. The halt was to end on Sept. 16, but was later extended till Sept. 24, and subsequently till Oct. 1.

The disruption in operations has impacted the company's three main UK factories, apart from hitting its vast network of suppliers.

The British luxury carmaker’s factories in Merseyside, north-west England, and Solihull in the West Midlands as well as facilities around the world, including India, Slovakia and China, remained at a standstill due to the shutdown.

A group calling itself Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters is believed to have claimed responsibility for the hack. It was also behind a number of high-profile attacks on UK retailers this year, including Marks & Spencer and Co-op.

The BBC reported that JLR is losing about 50 million pounds each week. Its UK plants usually produce around 1,000 vehicles per day, and the stoppage has frozen supply chains and placed 33,000 workers on the sidelines.