How Much Did the Cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover Cost the UK Economy?

Synopsis
Key Takeaways
- $2.55 billion estimated loss to the UK economy from the JLR cyberattack.
- Over 5,000 businesses affected by the incident.
- JLR’s production was halted for nearly six weeks.
- Government provided a £1.5 billion loan guarantee.
- Rated as a Category 3 systemic event by the CMC.
New Delhi, Oct 22 (NationPress) A significant cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover, the British automobile manufacturer under the ownership of India’s Tata Motors, has inflicted an estimated damage of $2.55 billion (£1.9 billion) on the UK economy, according to a report published on Wednesday by the Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC).
This incident resulted in a six-week halt in JLR’s production, affecting thousands of suppliers and dealerships across the nation, making it the most financially damaging cyber event ever recorded in the UK.
According to the report, over 5,000 companies in the UK faced repercussions from the incident.
The CMC, an independent body comprised of cybersecurity experts, including a former leader of Britain’s National Cyber Security Centre, indicated that the financial repercussions could have been more severe had JLR experienced prolonged delays in resuming production post-hack.
This incident has been categorized as the most expensive cyber event to impact the UK. A significant portion of the losses stems from JLR's inability to manufacture vehicles, which also adversely affected numerous suppliers.
With three facilities in Britain that collectively produce around 1,000 cars daily, JLR's operations were suspended for nearly six weeks due to the cyberattack.
JLR began to restart production earlier this month. Prior to the shutdown, the company was incurring losses of approximately £50 million weekly.
In response to the challenges faced by JLR and its suppliers, the British government extended a loan guarantee of £1.5 billion at the end of September.
This cyberattack on JLR is among several significant breaches that have targeted major British corporations this year.
For instance, Marks & Spencer incurred around £300 million in losses when its online operations were disrupted for two months following a breach in April.
The CMC employs a system to assess the financial impact of such cybersecurity breaches on British enterprises.
The JLR incident was designated a Category 3 systemic event, on a scale of one to five.
The report highlighted that the attack caused extensive disruption not only to JLR’s manufacturing but also to its supply chain and car dealerships throughout the UK.