One of the biggest aluminum companies in the world is currently under cyberattack

Norwegian aluminum firm Hydro said virtually all its IT systems are currently down thanks to an “extensive” attack that started on Monday evening and is still ongoing.

Background: The company is one of the biggest aluminum and renewable-energy firms in the world, employing about 35,000 people in about 50 countries.

Communication lines: The company’s website is down, so it is currently using Facebook as its primary means of communicating. It said most of its IT systems have been affected, but its power plants are running normally on isolated systems.

Safety measures: In a post, Hydro said the attacks have not hurt anyone, although they have “impacted operations in several of the company’s business areas globally.” Where possible, it’s had to switch to manual operations.

Early days: Hydro said it’s too early to assess the attack’s source, impact, or scope, but it has contacted all the relevant authorities and will provide updates as soon as possible.  

Read more: Five emerging cyberthreats to worry about in 2019 

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