#HackAlert: Honda hit by cyber attack, global operations disrupted
What's the story
Japanese auto giant Honda Motor Company has been hit by a major cyber attack.
The attack has disrupted the automaker's internal network, affecting its operations in different parts of the world and bringing many of its factories, including the one producing motorcycles in India, to a complete halt.
Here is all you need to know about it.
Problem
Issue affecting Honda's internal network
In a recently-issued statement, Honda confirmed the cyber attack on its network.
The company said the attack occurred through the compromise of one of its internal servers and has affected its ability to access its servers, email, and other internal systems.
However, it did not delve into specific details of the issue and just claimed that "the virus had spread" through its network.
Impact
Impact on operations around the world
As the virus blocked Honda's access to internal systems, its business activities were deeply disrupted.
The attack hit manufacturing and other operations at the company's factories in Japan, North America, South America, Turkey, Italy, India, and the UK.
Meanwhile, the company has emphasized that there is no indication of an information breach and the business impact of the issue will be minimal.
Work
Work going on to restore activities
Honda added in its statement that its teams are aggressively working towards fixing the affected systems.
"Work is being undertaken to minimize the impact and to restore full functionality of production, sales, and development activities," the company said while suggesting that the affected sites should be up and running in a few hours.
Some US-based Honda plants have already resumed manufacturing, Bloombergquint.com/business/honda-suspends-vehicle-shipments-after-suspected-cyberattack">Bloomberg reported.
Possibility
Looks like a case of ransomware attack
Even though Honda continues to keep the details of the attack to itself, many experts have suggested that this could be a case of a ransomware attack, BBC.com/news/technology-52982427">BBC reported.
If that turns out to be true, the attackers may have encrypted or stolen some of the company's data and could be asking for a ransom to give it back.