Norsk Hydro ASA said it made progress in securing its computer systems after the Norwegian aluminum maker was hit by a ransomware cyber attack.
The company plans to restart some systems in divisions that make finished metal, which should help it continue deliveries to customers, according to a statement on Wednesday. It has detected the “root cause” of the attack but didn’t know how long it would take to restore stable computer systems.
“Hydro still does not have the full overview of the timeline towards normal operations, and it’s still too early to estimate the exact operational and financial impact,” the company said.
The attack began in the early hours of Tuesday, forcing one of the world’s top aluminum makers to shut down several automated product lines and switch smelters to manual production processes. Hydro said yesterday that it didn’t know the identity of the hackers and believes the attack originated in the U.S.
The attack is the latest to hit the commodities sector, where disruptions can quickly cascade down the supply chain. Prior to Norsk Hydro, companies from zinc smelter Nyrstar NV to Saudi and Russian oil giants Aramco and Rosneft PJSC, shipping company AP Moller-Maersk A/S and agriculture trader Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. had been also hit by cyber attacks.
Hydro said the lack of ability to connect to production systems has caused issues in its extruded solutions and rolled products divisions.
“Progress has been made, with the expectation to restart certain systems,” the company said. This will “allow for continued deliveries to customers.”
Hydro is a leading supplier of aluminum products in North American and European markets, providing specialized parts to industrial customers. It has more than a dozen aluminum facilities in Europe, from Norway to the U.K., including those producing primary metal or using aluminum extrusion. The company’s market share in the extrusion segment is around 20% in Europe and 23% in North America.
By Sveinung Sleire
