In September, Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) suffered from a major cyber attack, which led to a data breach that caused several factories to shut down due to disruption. Now, there are confirmed reports that thousands of staff members — including former employees — may have had their personal data scooped up during this breach.
According to The Telegraph, attackers managed to access payroll-related data. JLR emailed affected employees explaining that there had been “unauthorised access” to personal information used for payroll, benefits, and staff schemes. Even old archived data wasn’t spared.
The company didn’t reveal exactly what was taken, but payroll data typically includes things like:
It’s no secret why information like this on the dark web is bad news; however, the danger here lies in an opportunity for scammers and threat actors to use this data for identity fraud/scams.
JLR employs over 38,000 people, but they haven’t confirmed how many were hit. They did say there’s currently no evidence that the data is being misused. Still, staff have been told to keep an eye out for identity fraud and to use strong, unique passwords. To their credit, JLR has set up a helpline and is offering credit and identity monitoring.
This wasn’t just a small blip. The Cyber Monitoring Centre (CMC) even labelled it the“most damaging cyber event in UK history.”
We also now know who orchestrated the attack. Scattered LAPSUS$ Hunters, the same group accused of targeting Marks & Spencer and the Co-op, are linked to this breach.
We hope you’ve liked this blog. Stay tuned for more blogs like this. Stay safe!
