M&S hackers claim to be behind Jaguar Land Rover cyber attack
52 minutes ago Share Save Joe Tidy Cyber correspondent, BBC World Service Share Save
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A group of young English-speaking hackers are claiming to be behind the cyber attack which has halted the global production lines of Jaguar Land Rover (JLR). The group is bragging about the hack on the messaging app Telegram, sharing screenshots apparently taken from inside the car maker's IT networks. The gang is also responsible for a wave of cyber attacks on UK retailers including M&S in the spring - and are calling themselves "Scattered Lapsus$ Hunters". "Where is my new car, Land Rover," the hackers - who are thought to be teens - posted to taunt the company.
The BBC has approached JLR for comment. In private text conversations with one of the criminals, who claims to be the spokesperson for the group, they said they are trying to extort the car company for money. But the hacker would not say if they have successfully stolen private data from JLR or installed malicious software onto the company's network. The hacker wouldn't provide any more evidence they are responsible for the hack - and they are known to lie to get attention. But two images posted by the group show apparent internal instructions for troubleshooting a car charging issue and internal computer logs. One security expert has speculated the screenshots suggest the criminals have access to information they should not have. "Based on the information provided by the attackers and open source intelligence, the attack has access to JLR's internal systems and network," security researcher Kevin Beaumont said. A spokesperson for the Information Commissioner's Office said: "Jaguar Land Rover has reported an incident and we are assessing the information provided."
'Took immediate action'