Attack on supplier has disrupted Toyota’s plants in Japan
Currently unsure if plants will reopen after Wednesday
A cyberattack has lead to Toyota halting all 14 of its plants in Japan. Reports of the attack were first reported by Nikkei, and were later confirmed in an announcement from Toyota, with the shutdown to begin on Tuesday.
It was a major supplier, not Toyota itself, that was the victim of the suspected cyberattack, but the result was that a key parts supply management system was brought to a halt. That disruption lead to Toyota’s decision to suspend 28 lines at 14 plants beginning Tuesday, all of its operations in Japan.
Toyota subsidiaries Hino Motors and Daihatsu Motor were also affected, but those automakers halted some of their operations, not all. Nikkei says that the automakers are still unsure when they will be able to return to normal operations, but that it will be at least Wednesday. The shutdown is expected to impact the production of around 10,000 vehicles.
Kojima Industries, a plastic parts manufacturer, was the victim of the attack. An official said that “It is true that we have been hit by some kind of cyberattack. We are still confirming the damage and we are hurrying to respond, with the top priority of resuming Toyota’s production system as soon as possible.”
No information on who was responsible for the attacks was available, but Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said that the government would investigate. “It is difficult to say whether this has anything to do with Russia before making thorough checks,” he told reporters.
