JLR Battles to Reboot Systems After Global Cyber Meltdown

In a digital disaster that's grinding one of Britain's automotive icons to a halt, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR)—the Tata Motors-owned powerhouse behind sleek Jaguars and rugged Land Rovers—has clawed back partial control of its IT systems nearly a month after a devastating cyberattack struck on August 31, 2025. The ransomware onslaught, suspected to involve groups like Everest, has paralyzed global operations, forcing an extended factory shutdown until at least October 1 and sparking fears of a supply chain meltdown.

"As part of the controlled, phased restart of our operations, today we have informed colleagues, suppliers, and retail partners that sections of our digital estate are now up and running. The foundational work of our recovery program is firmly underway," JLR announced in a statement that offers a glimmer of hope amid the chaos. Key systems flickering back to life include ramped-up IT capacity for invoicing to blitz through supplier payment backlogs, the Global Parts Logistics Centre resuming full throttle to feed parts to UK and worldwide retailers, and the financial backbone for vehicle wholesaling—unlocking crucial cash flow by speeding up sales and registrations.

But the road to recovery is potholed with peril. The attack, which infiltrated systems outsourced to Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) under a £800 million deal, has idled production lines across the UK (including Halewood, Solihull, and Wolverhampton), China, Slovakia, Brazil, and India—silencing an output of roughly 1,000 vehicles daily. Over 33,000 UK employees have been sidelined, with thousands told to file for unemployment as factories gather dust. The ripple effects? A staggering weekly hemorrhage of £50-70 million, with cumulative losses potentially ballooning to £2 billion—eclipsing JLR's entire 2025 profit of £1.8 billion—and no cyber insurance to cushion the blow after a botched policy negotiation.

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Suppliers are teetering on the brink: Hundreds of firms have paused production, laid off staff, and face bankruptcy risks, endangering up to 200,000 jobs in the ecosystem. "Many small firms reliant on Jaguar Land Rover have 'weeks left' before collapse," insiders warn, prompting UK government intervention—Business Secretary Peter Kyle and Industry Minister Chris McDonald have huddled with workers, floating ideas like stockpiling parts to prop up the chain. Unions sound the alarm: A prolonged outage could shatter the supply network, leaving JLR high and dry even after reboot.

Hackers have flaunted their spoils, leaking internal screenshots of troubleshooting logs and charging issues, hinting at deep network penetration—no customer data breach confirmed yet, but the probe rages on. Dedicated JLR teams, bolstered by cybersecurity pros, the UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), and law enforcement, toil around the clock to exorcise the digital demons. Parent Tata Motors isn't unscathed—shares plummeted 4% on loss reports, compounding woes from US tariffs and slumping sales that already halved quarterly profits to £351 million.

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