Battery maker Varta halts production after cyberattack

German battery manufacturer Varta was forced to shut down its IT systems and stop production as a result of a cyberattack.

The Varta cyberattack

The cyberattack occurred on Monday night and affected five of the company’s production plants and the administration.

According to the German news outlet Finanzen, of the company’s five production sites, three are located in Germany, one in Romania and one in Indonesia.

“The IT systems and thus also production were proactively shut down temporarily for security reasons and disconnected from the internet. The IT systems and the extent of the impact are currently being reviewed,” the company shared in a public announcement on Tuesday.

The company said that it implemented the “necessary precautionary measures” and established a task force supported by cyber security experts and data forensics specialists to restore operations.

“The extent of the actual damage cannot be determined at this time,” the company noted.

The nature of the incident is currently unknown, though a ransomware attack seems more likely.

The impact

German news outlet Handelsblatt revealed that company’s share price fell by 4.75% after it announced the incident.

A recent cyber incident with similar results occurred in May 2023, when the French electronics manufacturer Lacroix was forced to close three of its factories after being hit.