A cyberattack last week halted production at Jaguar Land Rover, one of Britain's largest automakers. The company's computer systems were compromised, leading to shutdowns on assembly lines and delays in vehicle deliveries. As a result, employees at several sites were told to stay home until further notice.
The attack was carried out by Scattered Spider, one of the world's most sophisticated and active hacker groups. In recent months, the group has also infiltrated the networks of the M&S retail chain, Co-op supermarkets, and the luxury department store Harrods, causing lengthy operational disruptions.
Those breaches crippled ordering and payment systems, inflicted heavy financial losses, and exposed personal data of millions of customers.
The choice of such targets is no accident. Established companies tend to rely on highly complex computer systems that have evolved layer upon layer over decades. These often include outdated connections, forgotten servers, and sprawling infrastructures that are nearly impossible to fully map.
For hackers, this is an ideal playground. It is nearly impossible to protect systems you don't even know exist. In such cases, even a minor vulnerability can bring an entire network to a standstill.
The Israeli company Faddom, which has developed instant mapping technology for organizational server systems, offers a different approach. "We like to call our solution an MRI for servers," said Aviv Hooker, the company's co-founder. "Real-time mapping makes it possible to identify weaknesses before they are exploited. Just as importantly, if an attack does occur, the organization immediately knows which server was breached. That allows the company to isolate only the compromised server, continue operating almost as usual, and avoid a complete shutdown."
Billions lost every year
The economic damage from such cyberattacks is already measured in billions of dollars annually. Alongside technological defenses, the insurance industry has stepped in as well.
Shahar Moalme, CEO of Lamda Broking Group, which specializes in special risk and cyber insurance, explained: "Companies today understand that the risk is not only technological but is also a business threat. Cyber insurance gives them a safety net, covering the costs of rapid recovery and incident management, compensation for lost revenue, ransom payments, as well as lawsuits, fines, and regulatory investigations when facing an event that could cripple operations."
The attack on Jaguar is not an isolated case but part of a global trend. For older corporations, complex information systems are increasingly becoming critical weak points that allow digital crime organizations to disrupt production and cause millions in losses within days. The question is no longer whether an attack will happen, but whether an organization can stop it in time and recover without collapsing financially.
