CYBER ATTACK: French carmaker Renault’s biggest factory closed over ransomware virus
FRENCH carmaker Renault announced its largest factory, which is located in the northern French town of Douai, would remain closed on Monday to prevent the spread of a global cyber attack that hit its computer systems over the weekend.
Director of Europol SHOCKED by the scale of cyber attack
The car manufacturer is the first – and so far the only – French company to report being affected by the biggest-ever ransomware cyber attack that has affected tens of thousands of computers in nearly 100 countries since Friday, triggering worldwide chaos.
David Dubois, one of the Douai plant’s 5,500 employees and a trade union representative, said yesterday: “We found out today that we would not be able to go to work tomorrow.”
We found out today that we would not be able to go to work tomorrow
Renault temporarily halted production at several of its key sites on Saturday in a bit to protect its computer systems, but said on Monday morning that 90 per cent of its factories were now “running normally,” before adding that “proactive” and “preventative measures” had been put in place to stop the virus – known as WannaCry – from spreading.
The carmaker’s plant in Sandouville in northwestern France was one of the first factories affected by the cyber attack, although the company has declined to provide a full list of affected sites.
Renault’s rival, carmaker PSA Peugeot Citroen, was not affected by the ransomware attack, a company spokesperson said.
Paris prosecutor François Molins opened an investigation into the cyber attack on Saturday, a judicial source told Reuters, adding that the probe covered “Renault and other possible victims”.