Key facts
- Russian hackers are reportedly behind a $2.5 billion cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover.
- The attack caused production halts for months and led to a £1.5 billion U.K. government bailout.
- Microsoft alerted Jaguar Land Rover to the identities of the Russian hacking group.
- A separate Jordanian hacker also infiltrated some Jaguar Land Rover networks.
Russian hackers are reportedly responsible for a massive cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover that caused significant economic damage and necessitated a government bailout, according to a report citing sources close to the investigation.
The attack, which halted production at the U.K. automaker for months, is estimated to have cost the British economy $2.5 billion. The U.K. government intervened with a £1.5 billion (approximately $2 billion) payment to support the company.
While speculation about the perpetrators had persisted for months, The New York Times reported that the hackers were Russian. It remains unclear whether they acted directly on behalf of Vladimir Putin’s government, were independent criminals, or operated with tacit government approval.
Microsoft had been tracking the Russian hacking group and alerted Jaguar Land Rover to their identities, the report stated. The investigation also involved the FBI, Britain’s National Crime Agency and National Cyber Security Centre, Google’s Mandiant unit, and Palo Alto Networks.
In a separate development, a Jordanian hacker known as Rey also managed to breach some of Jaguar Land Rover’s networks, according to the Times.