The famous automaker Toyota is getting ready to suspend 14 of its factories because of a possible cyberattack. Officials say they have no idea how long this disruption might last.
The 14 flagged factories in Japan notably account for a third of the automotive firm's global production. Other plants affiliated to Toyota, like Hino Motors and Daihatsu, are also included in the shutdown.
Toyota Cyber Attack 2022: Japan Factories Affected
There is no information immediately available about the attack, so sources like Reuters recorded the data submitted by reporters. Some speculate the attack might be retaliation against Japan for supporting Ukraine, but nothing is confirmed at this time
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said, "It is difficult to say whether this has anything to do with Russia before making thorough checks." He promised that his government was already taking steps to investigate the attack.
It should be emphasized that the attack was not launched directly against Toyota Motor Corp. Instead, it was directed towards the supplier of plastic parts and electronics components, namely the Kojima Industries Corp.
A spokesperson told Nikkei that "It is true that we have been hit by some kind of cyberattack. We are still confirming the damage, and we are hurrying to respond, with the top priority of resuming Toyota's production system as soon as possible."
For reference, Toyota uses a just-in-time production control system, which means any parts received from the supplier are immediately used for production instead of being stockpiled. This is why Toyota had no other choice but to stop production.
Note that until the supplier system failure is resolved and its cybersecurity not compromised, Toyota will still continue to struggle with production.
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Toyota Cybersecurity Issues: When Will Production Resume?
As previously mentioned, Toyota is one of the biggest car manufacturers in the world. So this sudden shutdown is definitely affecting its systems negatively. The closure will reportedly set back the production of 13,000 cars or more, per BBC. This is approximately 4-5% of Toyota's monthly output in Japan.
Its affiliate Hino Motors will also suspend operations at its Koga facility and Hamura plant. These two are responsible for manufacturing trucks of all sizes for export and domestic sale.
Unfortunately for fans, Toyota has yet to announce how long this shutdown would last. The suspension will be effective starting Tuesday, Feb. 28, and will last indefinitely until the company is confident with its system repairs and cybersecurity countermeasures.
Notably, the cyberattack shutdown just happened on top of Toyota's supply chain crises because of the global pandemic. These two factors should negatively impact their performance. Toyota should be able to find a way to overcome these unfortunate predicaments, just as it did during the Toyota recall crisis.
Fans interested in the Toyota vehicle lineup are advised to wait for further updates, which might drop anytime within the week.
