Toyota Motor Corporation
Toyota suspended production on March 1, temporarily shuttering all 14 of its Japan-based plants. While Toyota facilities are safe from infection by malware, plastic part manufacturer Kojima Industries found itself struck by what appears to be ransomware, according to reports of the company receiving a "ransom note."
Toyota's North American operations remain unaffected due to their unrelated suppliers. It is worth noting that fellow Japanese multinational Bridgestone
Details are scarce on the specifics of the attack and its effects on Kojima Industries itself. Toyota announced on Wednesday, however, that it would be resuming production at all its facilities.
The disruptions are only the latest issues to throw wrenches into the company's operations. In February, Toyota faced production disruptions in North America due to the blockage of supply lines amid Canada's "trucker convoy" incident. Toyota and other companies have been forced to intermittently suspend production due to supply chain disruptions throughout the pandemic. Supply lines remain in precarious shape, especially amid the still ongoing semiconductor shortage, as well as new shortages stemming from Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
As for the hacking attempt itself, there has been speculation that the attacks may have been related to the invasion mentioned above. Cyber threats have been a hot topic amid the war (and cybersecurity stocks a hot buy), given Russia's propensity to use malware attacks through third parties as a form of plausible deniability.
Like the United States and European Union, Japan has enacted sanctions against Russia in response to the invasion of Ukraine. The Japanese government has stated that it is investigating the source of the hacks but that "It is difficult to say whether this has anything to do with Russia before making thorough checks."
