Cyber attack on Ardagh Group costs the company €28.6 million

Irish headquartered Ardagh Group has revealed that a recent cyber attack cost the organisation $34 million (€28.6 million).

The global supplier of sustainable glass and metal packaging was forced to shut down a number of IT systems and applications used in the business on May 17th, 2021, as a precautionary measure against the attack.

The incident has reportedly caused delays in product shipping but packaging production have both continued.

Due to the attack, Ardagh Group has also suffered setbacks in other areas including supply chain operations. Although initially impacted, these issues were mitigated quickly in the days following the attack by implementing alternative procedures.

What Happened?

At the time of writing, the origin of the cyber attack is unknown and investigations are ongoing. 

The organisation have, since the attack, begun conducting forensic investigations on the systems involved and are introducing additional protective measures across their networks to enhance system security. 

The Actions That Saved the Organisation From Further Damage

As soon as the cyber incident was uncovered by Ardagh Group, the company acted quickly and initiated their incident response plan and framework. This began with defensive and containment measures that included shutting down certain IT systems and applications.  

The group then began working on remediating the issues. Progressively bringing each system back online in a phased manner. 

Through the continued effort of the teams, Ardagh Group are positive that the majority of systems will be back up and running by the end of the month. 

In their statement, the company noted that " We have engaged leading industry specialists to conduct a forensic investigation of this incident, and we will take appropriate actions in response to the findings. We have introduced new protection tools across our network to ensure an immediately enhanced level of security. Our technology roadmap is being reviewed and planned IT investments are being accelerated to further improve the effectiveness of our information security capabilities.".

How Can We Help You?

Unfortunately breaches do happen. It's how an organisation responds that will be remembered.

In the case of Ardagh Group, their quick response to the cyber security incident helped them to reduce the risk of further escalation and reduce financial losses.

Having a proactive approach to cyber security incidents makes a huge difference in responding to a breach. Here at Secora we can build you an entire Incident Response Framework with supporting Playbooks to help you respond to any cyber incidents, saving you time and reducing your overall cost.

If your organisation wants to be fully prepared to respond to a cyber security breach, get in touch. Our team has the skills and expertise to work with your organisation on creating a robust Cyber Incident Response Plan that suits your specific requirements.

Further reading

• Does your organisation have a cyber security incident response plan?
• Six Reasons to Conduct a Penetration Test
• Ransomware Attacks; an Unforgiving Evil