'What Is TCS Role?' UK Trade Panel Questions Indian IT Major Amid JLR Cyber Attack Row
JLR has been forced to halt its production due to a cyber-attack against the company, which was reported early in September.
Indian IT giant Tata Consultancy Services Ltd. has been pushed to the spotlight after a string of fresh cyber attacks on the Tata group's UK-based luxury automotive arm Jaguar Land Rover.
Citing media reports done by BBC and The Financial Times, Business and Trade Committee UK wrote to TCS in relation to the ongoing cyber security incident at JLR and previous incidents at M&S and Co-op and sent a list of pointed questions regarding the kind of services it has been providing to premium automaker among other things, and demanded answers by no later than Sept 29.
BTC wrote, "It has been reported by the BBC that the M&S cyber attack was triggered by an alleged ransomware email that was sent apparently using the account of an employee from [TCS]", and asked the company to tell, "What is TCS's role as service provider to each of the affected firms, including the scope of services delivered to date?"
BTC also cited the Financial Times and other publications as reporting that TCS has carried through an investigation into the matter "in tandem with M&S", and therefore wanted the company to provide information regarding whether TCS is in the process of an internal investigation into the cyber-attack on Jaguar Land Rover.
It further inquired whether the IT company has conducted, or recently concluded, an investigation into the M&S and Co-op cyber attacks and asked it to provide "an update on any relevant findings to date."
In relation to other companies that TCS might provide its services to, BTC asked the company to give a number and also give details about the total value of service contracts the company holds at present.
Lastly, BTC asked TCS to provide breakdown of the number of companies it provides services to under "each of the 13 sectors identified by the Government as Critical National Infrastructure".
What all three victims of cyber attacks have in common is that TCS has been a technology partner for them. While attacks at M&S and Co-op took place earlier this year in April, JLR has been under attack since Aug 31.
The cyber-attack against JLR, 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.
