The Düsseldorf group was apparently attacked by hackers.
(Photo: dpa)
Dusseldorf The armaments group and automotive supplier Rheinmetall, headquartered in Düsseldorf, is said to be the victim of a hacker attack. As the Handelsblatt learned from business circles, only civilian business, i.e. the automotive supply division, is apparently affected. The company did not want to comment on this for the time being.
According to information from the Handelsblatt, the IT systems for civil and military business at Rheinmetall are separate. While the systems in the civilian division are said to have been shut down on Friday, work in the armaments sector can continue as normal. This was reported by people familiar with the matter.
So far it is unclear who is behind the hacker attack and what kind of attack it is exactly. The “Spiegel” reports that proceedings have been initiated at the Cologne public prosecutor’s office.
As first reported by the regional news portal Echo24, Rheinmetall subsidiaries are also said to be affected. Various systems are said to have failed at the Kolbenschmidt company in Neckarsulm on Friday. The subsidiary Pierburg in Neuss sent all employees home on Friday.
There are no indications of significant damage so far. Apparently the test is still running. The consequences of the loss of production remains to be seen.
As a supplier to the automotive industry, Rheinmetall produces components for battery-electric vehicles, drive technology and lightweight components, for example. In recent years, however, the armaments business has become significantly more important. Because the demand for military vehicles and ammunition has increased enormously as a result of the Russian war of aggression in Ukraine, the company recently made the leap into the leading index Dax.
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