Honda Hit By Ransomware

Japanese carmaker Honda is investigating a cyber-attack after experiencing issues with its IT network. Automotive manufacturer Honda is experiencing a company-wide network outage that is suspected to have been caused by a ransomware attack.

One of the carmaker's servers had become infected with the Ekans malware,  a type of ransomware that targets industrial control systems used for operating factories, and demands payment to open them up again. Ransomware attacks have escalated dramatically in recent years and have largely targeted businesses, often disrupting factories and basic infrastructure.

In 2019, more than 205,000 organisations submitted files that had been hacked in a ransomware attack.

This  attack is reported to have put certain computer programmes off limits to employees. Security researchers at MalwareBytes have posted evidence on the Internet showing a Honda server has become infected in the ‘Ekans’ malware.
Honda workers in America have been sent home from work after getting to their offices to find equipment and phones weren’t working.

In previous cases of the Ekans malware infecting companies it has informed users that it has penetrated their system and demands payment to unencrypt its data. 

Honda said: ‘This is currently under investigation, to understand the cause. At this point, there is no effect on either Japanese production or dealer activities, and no customer impact.... In Europe, we are investigating to understand the nature of any impact. We can confirm some impact in Europe and are currently investigating the exact nature.’ Honda has been targeted by cyber criminals before and in 2017, one of the company’s plants at Sayama, Japan, had to shut down production temporarily after its network was hit by WannaCry ransomware.

The Ekans malware is thought to target systems which control machinery, gaining access and then encrypting data, causing production processes to halt.

Honda:      Car Dealer:        CityAM:      BizJournals:      MalwareBytes:      Telegraph:       Dragos: 

You Might Also Read:

Volkswagen Launches Automotive Cybersecurity Firm:

WannaCry Returns To Attack Honda: