Published 18:41 IST, June 10th 2020
Honda ransomware cyber attack prompts company to shut down operations and close offices
Honda ransomware attack has prompted the company to shut down operations and close offices in some countries across the globe. Read more details.
- Tech
- 2 min read
As per reports, Honda company has been subjected to a major ransomware attack. The servers of Honda were targetted with the Ekans malware which also inflicted some damage to the servers of the company. Many workers in Honda's locations in the United States were sent back home after it was discovered that the computers and other devices in the offices were rendered non-functional. Though Honda is yet to confirm whether it has suffered a ransomware attack, it has admitted that a security breach on the cyber level has been identified. Honda hasn't given out any further information by stating that the incident is under investigation.
Honda goes through a ransomware attack
Honda's spokesperson recently gave an interview to a news portal where he revealed that the issue is currently under investigation to understand the cause of the security breach. It is reported that currently there hasn't been any effect on either Japenese production or dealer activities, nor customer impact. Investigations in Europe are also underway to understand the nature of the impact. Whereas, Honda has confirmed that impact has been noticed in Europe majorly.
The spokesperson revealed that Honda experienced a disruption in its computer network that caused a loss of connectivity, impacting business operations. Some production was also cancelled in order to assess the situation. It is also being reported that a security firm named Virus Total has evidence of hackers creating customised ransomware to get access and encrypt Honda internal servers and demanded a ransom in exchange for getting the encryption back.
Reports suggest that the ransomware which targetted Honda was named Ekans, a variant of the Snake ransomware which was recently used to target Germany-based Fresenius Group and caused devastating effects. It is unsure whether Honda is going through such an extreme ransomware cyber attack but it is on similar lines.
Whereas on the other hand, Honda going through ransomware is just one of the many witnessed in recent times. As per reports, there has been a spike in companies getting hit by cyberattacks in the first quarter of 2020 as compared to the data back in 2019. With not many details made public about Honda's ransomware attack, further developments are awaited.
Updated 18:41 IST, June 10th 2020
