Steelmaker BlueScope’s production systems were targeted by a cyberattack causing disruptions across the company’s global operations, according to a company release on Friday. BlueScope’s IT systems were attacked by ransomware, according to local media reports. Manufacturing and sales operations in Australia were impacted by this attack and the company has switched to manual processes where possible. Steel despatches were on schedule through manual processes.
Production at hot strip mill in Port Kembla, Wollongong was disrupted and is expected to be operations later in the day, according to local media reports. Steelmaking at the plant continues to function at normal levels. Port Kembla plant is Australia’s biggest steelwork with an annual production capacity of around 2.6mn mt of steel.
BlueScope’s operations in Asia, New Zealand and its North Star businesses in the US were largely unaffected with some disruptions. The cyberattack was first detected at its US businesses. The system targeted by the malware is mostly related to back-office operations including order management and logistics, according to news reports.