Manufacturing giant dealing with ‘disruptive’ cyberattack

A major U.S. manufacturer of building materials said on Tuesday that it is dealing with a cyberattack disrupting its business operations – becoming the latest manufacturing firm in recent weeks to face operational issues due to a cyber incident.

Simpson Manufacturing Company told the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) that on Tuesday, it experienced disruptions to its IT infrastructure after malicious activity was discovered. The company took systems offline immediately.

“The incident has caused, and is expected to continue to cause, disruption to parts of the Company’s business operations. The Company has engaged leading third-party cybersecurity experts to support its investigation and recovery efforts,” Brian Magstadt, Chief Financial Officer told regulators and investors this week.

“The investigation to assess the nature and scope of the incident remains ongoing and is in its early stages.”

The company did not respond to requests for comment about the nature of the attack.

Simpson Manufacturing Company provides critical construction and retrofitting products like structural connectors, anchors, and more. They reported nearly $600 million in net sales last quarter and have more than 3,000 employees.

This is the third attack on a major manufacturer in recent weeks after Volex, a U.K-based company that produces a range of power products for data centers, electric vehicles and more, and building automation giant Johnson Controls each reported incidents.

The attack on Johnson Controls has alarmed federal law enforcement agencies in the U.S. because it may have “compromised sensitive physical security information such as Department of Homeland Security floor plans,” according to a memo obtained by CNN.

Cybersecurity firm Dragos said in August that of the 253 ransomware incidents it tracked in the second quarter of 2023, 177 of them involved companies in manufacturing. Cleaning product giant Clorox told regulators two weeks ago that it is still dealing with production issues following a cyberattack in August.