The true extent of cyber attacks on UK business - and the weak spots that allow them to happen

3 hours ago Share Save Theo Leggett International Business Correspondent Share Save

BBC

The first day of September should have marked the beginning of one of the busiest periods of the year for Jaguar Land Rover. It was a Monday, and the release of new 75 series number plates was expected to produce a surge in demand from eager car buyers. At factories in Solihull and Halewood, as well as at its engine plant in Wolverhampton, staff were expecting to be working flat out. Instead, when the early shift arrived, they were sent home. The production lines have remained idle ever since. Though they are expected to resume operations in the coming days, it will be in a slow and carefully controlled manner. It could be another month before output returns to normal. Such was the impact of a major cyber attack that hit JLR at the end of August. It is working with various cyber security specialists and police to investigate, but the financial damage has already been done. Over a month's worth of worldwide production was lost. Analysts have estimated its losses at £50m per week.

Getty Images JLR's production lines were left idle after the firm faced a cyber attack at the end of August

For a company that made a £2.5bn profit in the last financial year, and which is owned by the Indian giant Tata Group, the losses should be painful but not fatal. But JLR is not an isolated incident. So far this year there has been a wave of cyber attacks targeting big businesses, including retailers such as Marks & Spencer and the Co-op, as well as a key airport systems provider. Other high profile victims have included the children's nursery chain Kido, while last year incidents involving Southern Water and a company that provided essential blood tests to the NHS raised s