Jaguar Land Rover cyberattack to cost estimated £1.9bn

The cyberattack on Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) is expected to cost an estimated £1.9bn, making it the most economically damaging cyber incident in UK history, according to researchers.

The Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC) has analysed the fallout from the attack, which halted production on 1 September for five weeks and caused widespread delays across JLR’s supply chain.

Experts at CMC estimate that 5,000 businesses have been affected in total, with a full recovery not expected until January next year.

Ciaran Martin, chair of the CMC’s technical committee, said: “With a cost of nearly £2bn, this incident appears to be, by some distance, the single most financially damaging cyber event ever to hit the UK.”

More than half of the cost will be borne by JLR itself, including lost earnings and recovery expenses. The remainder is expected to fall on the 5,000 firms in JLR’s supply chain, as well as the local economy, including hospitality and other services.

CMC, an independent, non-profit organisation that analyses and categorises cyber incidents, said the estimates are based on assumptions, as JLR has not publicly disclosed details on the attack.