Cyberattack halted production at Suzuki Motorcycle India for about a week

Suzuki Motorcycle India, the country's fifth largest two wheeler manufacturer, suspended manufacturing after a cyberattack on its systems in May 2023.

Autocar Professional, which reported the shutdown on May 19, said production had been stalled since May 10 and estimated the loss at more than 20,000 motorcycles and scooters. The company had produced close to one million units in the 2023 financial year, and India accounts for roughly half of Suzuki Motor Corporation's global output, about a fifth of which is exported.

The company also postponed its annual supplier conference, which had been scheduled for the following week, telling suppliers it was doing so because of an unprecedented business requirement.

A Suzuki Motorcycle India spokesperson said the company was aware of the incident and had promptly reported it to the relevant government department, adding that the matter was under investigation and that no further details could be provided for security reasons. The company did not identify the type of attack, name a perpetrator or give a date for resuming output, although sources cited by Autocar Professional expected operations to restart within days. No group publicly claimed responsibility and no ransom demand was disclosed. Commentary at the time suggested ransomware was a plausible explanation, but that was never confirmed.