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Irish Information Security Forum

Shut-down for Varta after cyberattack

Varta AG, a leading German automotive battery manufacturer, was the target of a significant cyberattack on February 12, 2024 attack affecting five of its production plants, causing them to go offline.

 

The plants are located in Germany, Romania and Indonesia.

 

In a statement, the company said: “There is currently no reliable information on how long it will take to process and resolve the attack or on when production at all five global production sites… will be fully operational. However, the first parts of the plants are expected to start up again next week.”

 

The attack targeted parts of Varta's IT systems, impacting both the production plants and the administration¹. As a precautionary measure, the company disconnected its IT systems and production facilities from the internet and proactively shut them down¹.

 

Varta immediately implemented necessary precautionary measures in accordance with their emergency plan for such situations¹. The extent of the damage is still under review, but the company assured that utmost care is being taken to ensure data integrity¹.

 

In response to the attack, Varta assembled a task force of cybersecurity experts and data forensics specialists to restore normal operations as quickly as possible and deal with the incident¹. Varta, founded in 1887 and headquartered in Ellwangen, Germany, is a top global supplier for the automotive industry, industrial, and consumer markets¹.

 

The company first detected a cyberattack on its systems on February 12, releasing a statement the following day that “IT systems and thus also production were proactively shut down temporarily for security reasons and disconnected from the internet.”  the company warns customers that “emails sent to us between 12 and 18 February have been lost.”

A “task force” is working with analysts and forensic experts on “step-by-step testing and recommissioning of the systems,” they said Thursday. “It is now clear that the cyberattack was carried out by an organised group of hackers who managed to break through the high security standards of VARTA's IT systems with a high level of criminal energy,” 

 

 

 


Refereces

(0) Plant production still on hold for German battery manufacturer after cyberattack https://therecord.media/varta-battery-plant-production-on-hold-after-cyberattack
(1) Varta battery manufacturing plants halted by massive cyberattack. https://cybernews.com/news/varta-battery-cyberattack-production-halted/.
(2) A cyberattack halted operations at Varta production plants. https://securityaffairs.com/159190/hacking/cyberattack-halted-varta-production-plants.html.
(3) teiss - News - German battery maker Varta says cyber attack shut .... https://www.teiss.co.uk/news/german-battery-maker-varta-says-cyber-attack-shut-production-at-five-manufacturing-facilities-13482.
(4) German Battery Maker Varta Halts Production After Cyberattack. https://www.redpacketsecurity.com/german-battery-maker-varta-halts-production-after-cyberattack/.

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