Experts have warned that criminals could continue to target automakers with cyber attacks and hacking attempts, following a number of high-profile hacks against major manufacturers.
Jaguar Land Rover has been the largest instance of a cyber attack against a manufacturer in recent years, with the iconic British manufacturer only now starting a phased restart of operations.
JLR was impacted by a cyber attack at the end of August, which forced the brand to shut down its IT operations and suspend production at its sites, causing havoc for the manufacturer.
It was only confirmed this week that it was starting a phased restart of its operations at the Electric Propulsion Manufacturing Centre (EPMC) and Battery Assembly Centre (BAC).
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Both sites, which are located in the West Midlands, have welcomed back staff, with further return plans for operations in Castle Bromwich, Halewood and Solihull.
This will be followed by vehicle manufacturing in Nitra, Slovakia, and Solihull, with the Halewood plant set to reopen further down the line.
Adrian Mardell, CEO of JLR, thanked everyone involved in the phased restart for their work, adding: "We know there is much more to do, but our recovery is firmly underway."
Similarly, French brand Renault confirmed that one of its third-party data processing providers had been targeted in a cyber attack.
READ MORE: Jaguar Land Rover confirms some production will restart after damaging cyber attack
Jaguar Land Rover, Renault and other manufacturers have been targeted in cyber attacks in recent months
|REUTERS/JLR/RENAULT
Some customers' personal data had been taken from one of their systems, including customer names, addresses, dates of birth, gender, phone numbers, vehicle identification numbers and vehicle registration details.
While it confirmed that no financial or password data had been compromised, it warned that it would contact impacted motorists.
It added that it was "advising them of the cyber-attack and reminding them to be cautious of any unsolicited requests for personal information".
Ignas Valancius, head of engineering at cybersecurity company NordPass, commented on the recent rise of cyber attacks, noting that they can cause "dangerous incidents".
Jaguar Land Rover said it would provide an update on the Halewood site soon | PALATEST DEVELOPMENTS:
He said: "Scammers can easily pretend to be Renault representatives, the police, or even lawyers offering to join a class action lawsuit against the company and offering a hefty compensation.
"It's not uncommon for users to sue a company that did not ensure the security of their data, especially in the USA.
"Sometimes, seeing a good chance for a settlement, lawyers themselves seek out people who were affected by a breach."
He warned that scammers can also pretend to be lawyers who offer to get impacted consumers compensation to "extort even more of your data or your money".
Renault told GB News that the cyber attack had been 'contained' | RENAULTThe expert also noted that threat actors had targeted Miljödata, a Swedish HR software, and stole the personal data of employees working for Volvo North America.
Stellantis also announced that it had been targeted via a third-party service provider, leading to its customer contact information being exposed.
German manufacturers BMW and Volkswagen have also been victimised by attacks. The Everest ransomware group hacked BMW, while around 800,000 electric BMW owners had their personal data exposed.
Mr Valancius said: "It seems that luxury brands have been prime targets for hacker groups in 2025, compromising higher-net-worth individuals.
"It's likely that we could see spear phishing and other types of targeted attacks in the near future, especially since the recent breaches are reportedly part of a larger campaign by the extortion groups."