Toyota Cyberattack Causes All Its Factories To Screech To 24-Hour Halt

Toyota Motor revealed it had been a victim of a cyberattack after all its factories in its native Japan ground to a full-day halt.

At the moment, no information is available about the perpetrator of the attack, though it did occur just after the country joined Western nations in issuing sanctions on Russia in response to its invasion of Ukraine.

As per Reuters, this incident has shed light on cybersecurity in Japan, with some feeling the country hasn’t taken the right protocols.

Critics decried that existing responses to bad actors aren’t good enough, and an attack via a vulnerability in a supplier’s system was enough to bring down one of the country’s foremost automakers. 

According to Nikkei Asia, Kojima Industries, which supplies plastic and electronic parts to Toyota, said it had uncovered an error on one of its file serves over the weekend. 

Following a reboot, it was confirmed the system had been infiltrated by a virus, and that it displayed a threatening message in English—though no further details have been given.

Fortunately, Toyota’s production lines will begin functioning again today through a backup network, though the blackout had affected the output of about 13,000 vehicles in total.

Japanese ministers have said they will be watching the matter closely, with a focus on small or medium-sized businesses that may not have the same protections in place as larger conglomerates.

[via Reuters and Nikkei Asia, cover image via josefkubes / Shutterstock.com]