Security experts have warned that Jaguar Land Rover's cyber attack could lead to long-term issues for customers and the manufacturer.
Jaguar Land Rover announced yesterday that it had been impacted by a cyber incident, which had caused serious issues to its services and production capacity.
A statement from the iconic British manufacturer said it took "immediate action" to mitigate the impact of the attack by shutting its systems down.
It added: "We are now working at pace to restart our global applications in a controlled manner.
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Jaguar Land Rover has faced 'severe disruption' following a cyber attack this week
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"At this stage there is no evidence any customer data has been stolen but our retail and production activities have been severely disrupted."
The BBC reported that the attack was detected while in progress, prompting JLR to shut its systems down to prevent any further damage.
Similarly, the Liverpool Echo reported that staff at the manufacturer's plant in Halewood, Merseyside, were told not to come into work as it looked to resolve the issue.
In a new update, the Echo reported that other workers at the Halewood facility would not be expected to work until Thursday, September 4.
Staff at JLR's Halewood Plant have been told to go home | PAA message from Artifex, an automotive systems interior manufacturer, stated: "We will update you if there are any further changes to the above arrangements. Thank you for your ongoing co-operation and support."
Jaguar Land Rover's parent company, Tata Motors, stated that an "IT security incidence" had caused "global" issues for the brand, in a filing with the Bombay Stock Exchange.
Dominic Holden, director at cyber litigation specialists Lawrence Stephens, noted that even the most sophisticated businesses are vulnerable to cyber security incidents.
He said: "The operational disruption and knock-on effect on Tata Motors' share price underlines the immediate financial and reputational fallout that can result from these situations.
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"Cyber security has long since moved on from being just an IT issue - it is now of fundamental importance to the board of any business."
Nivedita Murthy, senior security consultant at Black Duck, suggested that JLR would now be able to "identify how the attackers were able to access the systems and take advantage of them". This will now allow them to prepare themselves in the event of a follow-up attack.
Similarly, Mark Tibbs, a Partner within the Cyber Risk and Complex Investigations practice at Mishcon, said: "JLR's swift action in proactively shutting down and working to restore systems, along with their transparent messaging, shows commendable crisis management."
He suggested that the attack could lead to "delays, supply chain interruptions, and challenges for deliveries to customers and retailers."
Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Chancellor Rachel Reeves visited the Jaguar Land Rover factory in Solihull in April
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Mr Tibbs concluded: "This comes in the wake of several notable incidents over the past few years, with several British household names falling victim to ransomware attacks, causing operational problems, impacting customer confidence, and in some cases denting financial bottom lines."
Threat actors on Telegram have claimed responsibility for the hack, with screenshots appearing to show JLR-related domains, although this has not yet been confirmed.
It follows the recent hack of Marks & Spencer, which caused the department store to lose around £300million in lost profits and prevented customers from using its Click and Collect services for 15 weeks.
The hack also came at a critical time for any car company, with the launch of the new "75" number plate, with "new reg day" often leading to a spike in sales for dealers and manufacturers.