Vestas Wind Systems, the leading wind turbine producer, has closed its IT systems following a cyberattack. Vestas is a prominent North American wind turbine maker, installer, and service provider, with 40,000 MW installed and 36,000+ MW in operation in the United States and Canada.
The organization claims that they were attacked on Friday, November 19th, prompting them to shut down IT systems across numerous business divisions and locations to prevent the attack from spreading. Customers, staff, and other stakeholders may be impacted due to the interruption, and some Vestas facilities have been compelled to reduce output.
Vestas says in a statement published today on the company’s website, there had been limited impact on manufacturing, construction, and service. The company is trying to restore the integrity of its IT systems, but it doesn’t have a deadline for doing so. Vestas also admitted that some data had been breached, implying that the hackers had been able to steal data from the hacked systems.
“There is no indication that the incident has impacted third party operations, including customer and supply chain operations. Vestas’ manufacturing, construction and service teams have been able to continue operations, although several operational IT systems have been shut down as a precaution. Vestas has already initiated a gradual and controlled reopening of all IT systems.”
While Vestas hasn’t said what kind of hack they were hit with, the description sounds like a ransomware attack.
Vestas employs 25,000 people and has production sites in 16 countries, with a revenue of over a billion dollars each year. Vestas plays a critical role in delivering such services as governments expedite the adoption of pollution-reduction regulations and roll out renewable energy investment programs.
Vestas was already dealing with supply chain challenges and rising material prices, so this cyberattack comes at an especially inconvenient moment. As ransomware gangs ramp up their operations in search of higher payments, critical infrastructure has become increasingly vulnerable to cyberattacks.
