Vesuvius plc shut down systems after cyber incident at steel industry supplier

Vesuvius plc, a London listed manufacturer of ceramics and refractory products used by steelmakers, disclosed on 6 February 2023 that it was managing a cyber incident involving unauthorised access to its systems.

In a statement to the market the company said that as soon as it became aware of unauthorised activity on its networks it had taken steps to investigate and respond, including shutting down affected systems. The company said it was working to identify the extent of the issue, including the impact on production and contract fulfilment, and that it would take steps to comply with relevant regulatory obligations.

The company did not describe how the intruders reached its network, which systems were taken offline, or whether any data had been copied. No attacker was named and no ransomware group publicly claimed the intrusion at the time. About a month later, in early March 2023, the Vice Society ransomware group claimed the attack and published files it said were stolen from Vesuvius on its dark web leak site. Vesuvius did not confirm the claim. Vesuvius said it had engaged external cybersecurity specialists to establish the scope of the incident.

Vesuvius employs more than 10,000 people, reported revenue above 1.6 billion pounds in 2021 and ranks among the 350 most valuable businesses listed on the London Stock Exchange. Its shares fell about 3.8 percent in early trading after the disclosure.

As of the reporting date the company had not published a fuller account of the incident and the investigation was continuing. It was the second British industrial ceramics manufacturer to report a cyber incident in the opening weeks of 2023.