British steel industry supplier Vesuvius ‘currently managing cyber incident’

Engineering company Vesuvius Plc, which produces ceramics used by steelmakers, reported Monday that it was “currently managing a cyber incident.”

The British manufacturer confirmed that the incident “involved unauthorized access to our systems,” although it did not provide further details on what the access was or what kind of cyber actor may have been responsible.

Vesuvius, which employs more than 10,000 people and is one of the 350 most valuable businesses listed on the London Stock Exchange, disclosed the incident through the Regulatory News Service. 

Its shares fell 3.8% following the disclosure.

The notice states: “Immediately upon becoming aware of unauthorized activity on our networks, we have taken the necessary steps to investigate and respond to the incident, including shutting down affected systems.”

Vesuvius Plc, which reported over £1.6 billion in revenue for the 2021 calendar year, is the second industrial ceramics manufacturer to announce a cyber incident in recent weeks. Businesses in the manufacturing supply chain can be attractive targets for hackers looking to steal industrial secrets.

Back in January, Morgan Advanced Materials —- a company that helps make semiconductors — also filed a cyber security incident notice with the London Stock Exchange.

Vesuvius said: “We are working with leading cyber security experts to support our investigations and identify the extent of the issue, including the impact on production and contract fulfillment.”