Renault shuts down sites after being hit by cyberattack

PARIS, France – French carmaker Renault is the latest major organization to be hit by the massive wave of cyberattacks sweeping the globe, the company’s management said on Saturday, May 13.

“We have been affected,” a spokeswoman told Agence France-Presse, saying they were assessing the situation to try to find a solution. “Work is going on since last night. We are doing what is needed to counter this attack,” she added.

Car production was halted in Slovenia after computers at the headquarters of Renault’s subsidiary Revoz in Novo Mesto were affected, a spokeswoman told AFP. (READ: Major cyber attacks strike worldwide)

“We can confirm that on Friday, May 12, some problems occurred on certain parts of Revoz’s information system that led to the halting of production during the night,” the spokeswoman said.

Production remained suspended Saturday, she added.

Renault also announced Saturday that the cyberattack had forced it to stop production at sites in France, part of several measures being taken to stop the virus from spreading.

It did not identify the sites, but a union source said the factory at Sandouville in Normandy was one of the main sites affected. (READ: Researcher finds ‘kill switch’ for cyberattack ransomware)

A spokesman at the site, which normally produces about 640 utility vehicles a day, confirmed it had been a victim of the cyberattack.

“Production was affected overnight but luckily there was no full production scheduled for this weekend, only some ‘stamping’ operations,” he said.

Teams were working on the problem, and he estimated that work would resume Monday morning.

Earlier Saturday, the spokeswoman had said the problems were mainly related to France, and had also affected the company’s IT systems.

Renault is the first French company to confirm it has been affected by the attack. (READ: G7 finance chiefs talk cyber security in wake of attacks)

Friday’s wave of cyberattacks, which affected dozens of countries, apparently exploited a flaw exposed in documents leaked from the US National Security Agency. – Rappler.com