The Japanese public multinational conglomerate corporation, Honda, has confirmed a cyber attack that has brought its global operations to a grinding halt. According to the company, the ransomware attack has disrupted its internal network and forced a temporary suspension of all production as well as vehicle shipments at several Honda factories around the world.
While talking to BBC, the automaker detailed that the ransomware has inhibited the company’s use of its internal systems, including its ability to use email services and access servers. A Honda spokesperson said:
Work is being undertaken to minimize the impact and to restore full functionality of production, sales, and development activities.
The company has also announced the unavailability of customer service and financial services via its official Twitter account.
At this time Honda Customer Service and Honda Financial Services are experiencing technical difficulties and are unavailable. We are working to resolve the issue as quickly as possible. We apologize for the inconvenience and thank you for your patience and understanding.
— Honda Automobile Customer Service (@HondaCustSvc) June 8, 2020
Details of the cyberattack are scarce. However, a report from the bleeping computer suggests that it was likely “SNAKE” ransomware. For the uninitiated, SNAKE is a file-encrypting malware that scrambles files and documents and holds them hostage for a ransom. The money is usually expected to be paid in cryptocurrency, and even then data recovery is uncertain.
Honda is working on bringing the affected factories and plants back online later today. This is not the first time a company has been hit by ransomware of this nature. Cognizant, cyber insurer Chubb, and defense contractor CPI went through a similar situation earlier this year.
