Former minister confirms Jaguar Land Rover cyber attack was state sponsored

Share

A former defense minister has publicly confirmed that the cyber attack that crippled Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) last year was state-sponsored, marked the first official acknowledgment that a hostile foreign power had orchestrated the breach.

The catastrophic hack cost an estimated £1.6bn to £2.1bn, making it the costliest cyber incident in British history by a wide margin. The attack forced the luxury car maker to halt production completely, putting 200,000 jobs at risk as operations remained shut for five weeks.

The fallout rippled across the supply chain, affecting approximately 5,000 organizations, including local showrooms, repair shops, and thousands of small parts manufacturers.

Al Carneswho served as defense minister until his resignation in June, revealed the state-sponsored nature of the attack during an address at the Chatham House think tank. Discussing the national approach to resilience and threat deterrence, Carns pointed to a lack of coherent public communication about national security threats, saying: “We know there are £15bn cyber attacks, we know there is espionage going on… We know the Jaguar Land Rover attack was state sponsored.”

While earlier investigative reports by outlets like The New York Times point to Russian hacker groups, and The Telegraph highlighting early suspicions regarding Moscow, the government had previously refused to officially name the perpetrators. Former business minister Sir Chris Bryant had previously refused to confirm or deny the state’s involvement in MPs.

Mr Carns later clarified that his comments were not based on an official Ministry of Defense statement, although he noted that an attack of this magnitude could hardly happen without the knowledge of the host state.

The revelation sparked a political backlash. David Reed, a shadow defense minister, criticized the government for keeping the public in the dark, arguing that failing to hold enemy states accountable sends a dangerous message of weakness.

The revelation also comes amid heightened concern about the UK’s cyber​​​​resilience. Prime Minister Andy Burnham recently urged the public to stock up on emergency supplies following widespread technical disruptions. While a government spokesman declined to comment on ongoing operational security, the admission puts new pressure on Westminster to tackle escalating state-backed cyber ​​threats.

For the latest tech stories go to TechDigest.tv

Related posts