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German battery manufacturer Varta has disclosed a major cyber attack on its network that crippled its systems.
According to a statement it released, the attack on the Varta Group targeted its production facilities as well as administration.
“Last night, February 12th 2024, the VARTA Group was the target of a cyber attack on parts of its IT systems. This affects the five production plants and the administration,” the company said in a market announcement.
The company has said that to prevent further damage, it locked down systems and disconnected them from the internet to prevent further access and damage. Additionally, the company has begun reviewing its systems to determine the nature and extent of the incident.
“The IT systems and thus also production were proactively shut down temporarily for security reasons and disconnected from the internet,” added Varta.
“The IT systems and the extent of the impact are currently being reviewed. The utmost care is being taken to ensure data integrity.
“The extent of the actual damage cannot be determined at this time.”
Varta has also confirmed that a task force of cyber security experts and data forensics specialists has been put together to assist in the restoration of its systems and mitigate further harm.
“In accordance with the emergency plan for such situations, the necessary precautionary measures were implemented immediately.
“Additionally, a taskforce was set up instantly to restore normal operations as quickly as possible and deal with the incident with the support of cyber security experts and data forensics specialists.”
While it is not clear whether any data has been stolen or encrypted, nor if any systems have been locked down by the threat actors, the attack appears to have the ingredients of a ransomware attack.
Cyber Daily has observed the VenariX threat feed, which suggests that the incident was indeed a ransomware attack, although this is yet to be confirmed by Varta.
Additionally, the threat actor behind the incident is currently unknown.
According to German finance publication finanzen.net, news of the cyber attack alongside Varta’s production halt caused its share price to fall 4.75 per cent to €16.66. However, it has since increased 2.79 per cent to €17.12.
Cyber Daily has contacted Varta for additional information regarding the nature of the attack and for confirmation that a ransomware threat actor is involved. An update will be provided if Varta provides a response or new information becomes known.
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