Toyota halted production at 14 of its factories in Japan after a supplier reported a cyberattack, according to a statement provided to Reuters and the Associated Press.
Toyota did not respond to multiple requests for comment, but said the outages were the result of a “supplier’s system failure.” Kojima Industries Corp, one of the auto giant’s suppliers, told Reuters it was suffering from a cyberattack.
Kojima supplies Toyota with air conditioning systems, steering wheel components and other vehicle interior and exterior parts. The companies did not say how long the outages would last.
The production shutdown will halt the production of around 13,000 vehicles
Nikkei reports that the production shutdown will halt production of around 13,000 vehicles, or nearly 5% of the company’s monthly output in Japan.
Toyota is connected to many of its suppliers through a production control system called “just in time”. According to Nikkei, Toyota had to shut down its own systems to prevent further damage.
Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said police are investigating the incident. He adds that it is premature for anyone to link the cyberattack to Japan’s decision to send $100 million in aid to Ukraine and to sanction Russian officials.
Japan’s response to the situation in Ukraine #StandWithUkraine #Ukraine pic.twitter.com/isJa8KJ7Ml
Reuters notes that the attack also has an effect on affiliated automakers, such as Hino Motors and Daihatsu Motor.
A spokesperson for Kojima told The New York Times that the attack was discovered on Saturday. The company’s website was still unavailable Tuesday afternoon.
Toyota is the largest automaker in the world.
Source: ZDNet.com