Jaguar Land Rover has confirmed that hackers accessed company data during a cyber attack that forced the luxury car manufacturer to halt production across its UK facilities. The admission marks a significant shift from the company's initial position that there was "no evidence" of data theft.
The firm, owned by India's Tata Motors, announced on Wednesday that its ongoing investigation now indicates some data has been compromised. JLR said it will inform relevant regulators and contact anyone whose personal information may have been affected.
Production remains suspended
Manufacturing operations continue to be paused at JLR's major UK sites, including factories in Halewood on Merseyside and Solihull in the West Midlands. The company's engine manufacturing facility in Wolverhampton is also affected by the shutdown.
Factory workers remain on standby and receive daily updates about whether they can return to their workplace. The production halt began on 31st August when JLR first became aware of the cyber security incident affecting its global operations.
An English-speaking hacker identifying himself as "Rey" has claimed responsibility for the attack. The company immediately shut down its systems as a precautionary measure once the breach was detected.
Investigation continues
JLR is working with third-party cybersecurity specialists to safely restart its global computer systems in a controlled manner. The company said its forensic investigation is progressing rapidly to determine the full extent of the data compromise.
A company spokesman said: "We are very sorry for the continued disruption this incident is causing and we will continue to update as the investigation progresses. Our forensic investigation continues at pace and we will contact anyone as appropriate if we find that their data has been impacted."
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
