Jaguar Land Rover Still Paralyzed Due To Cyber Attacks, Loss Of IDR 96 Billion Per Day And Thousands Of Workers Threatened With Layoffs

Range Rover SV Asilomar Edition debuted at Monterey Car Week. (Photo: JRL)

JAKARTA - Since September 1, cyber attacks hit Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and now JLR admits that it has not been able to produce a single car in all of its factories in the world. The impact of this attack is widespread, threatening thousands of jobs and even potentially bankrupting some of its suppliers.

Autocar reported, Tuesday, September 16, JLR is still struggling to rebuild its computer system. This attack is believed to have been masterminded by the same hacker group that previously targeted Marks & Spencer. According to Business Economy Professor David Bailey, JLR's loss is estimated at 5 million euros per day equivalent to IDR 96.4 billion.

Not only stopping production and ordering spare parts, this cyberattack is also suspected of stealing customer data. JLR has confirmed that some data has been affected, although details have not been officially announced.

Experts, including Aston Martin's former CEO Andy Palmer, warned that this crisis could trigger bankruptcy among JLR suppliers.

"I wouldn't be surprised to see the bankruptcy," Palmer told the BBC.

He added that if the factory closure continues, termination of employment (PHK) could not be avoided.

"In the first weeks, you can still withstand losses. But once it enters the second week, you have to start cutting drastically," he explained.

In response to the threat of mass layoffs, British lawmakers urged the government to introduce a furlough scheme, similar to that used during the COVID-19 pandemic. The scheme will allow the government to subsidize the salaries of the affected workers, ease the company's burden.

Chairman of the Commons Business and Trade Committee, Liam Badminton, called for the government to act quickly.

"What starts from the online system is now spreading to the supply chain, threatening a cash flow crisis that can turn short-term shocks into long-term losses," he said.

The hacker group calling themselves Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters claimed responsibility for the attack. Through the Telegram platform, they uploaded a screenshot that appeared to show JLR's internal system and claimed to have exploited vulnerabilities in third-party software used by JLR, namely SAP Netweaver.