M&S hackers responsible for Jaguar Land Rover cyber attack

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The hacking group responsible for the cyberattack that brought down Marks & Spencer has claimed responsibility for the recent breach that forced Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) to halt car production.

The group, which identifies itself as “Scattered Lapsus Hunters,” a merger of the Scattered Spider and Shiny Hunters collectives, said it exploited a flaw in a third-party software system to gain access to JLR’s internal networks and customer data.

The claim, if verified, could leave JLR vulnerable to a ransom demand. While the company stated on Tuesday that there was “no evidence” of customer data being stolen, cybersecurity experts say this is a common early assessment that can change as an investigation progresses.

A member of the hacking group, identifying themselves as “Shiny,” told The Telegraph they exploited a known flaw in SAP Netweaver, a software used by JLR to link different computer programs.

The US cyber agency, CISA, had previously issued a warning about this vulnerability, noting that a patch was available. It is unclear if JLR had applied the update.

Scattered Spider is a loose collective of hackers, believed to be primarily English-speaking teenagers and young men. The group has been linked to a series of high-profile cyberattacks in recent months against major British retailers, including M&S, Co-op and Harrods. The M&S breach led to months of disruption for the retailer.

The JLR attack has “severely disrupted” the car manufacturer’s global retail and production activities, forcing the shutdown of assembly lines and preventing dealerships from selling new cars during a key period for registrations. The National Cyber Security Centre is understood to be monitoring the situation. JLR has not commented on the identity of the attackers.

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