Operations paused as Brunswick Corporation experiences IT security incident

Following an IT security incident which Brunswick Corporation says impacted some of its systems and global facilities, the company has activated its response protocols.

This includes pausing operations in some locations, engaging leading security experts and coordinating with relevant law enforcement agencies. The company says it is working to address the incident in order to restore the full functionality of the affected systems and minimise business, employee, and customer impacts.

While several people reached out to the US’s Action 2 News to say they were unable to work because of the disruption, a spokesperson for Mercury Marine told the website that the incident hadn’t impacted all areas of the plant and, “there are a lot of people still working at the plant.”

Earlier this year (April 2023) the German shipbuilder Lürssen, which makes luxury superyachts and military vessels, was targeted by a ransomware cyberattack. The attack brought large parts of Lürssen’s shipyard operations to a standstill. 

Three months after the cyber attack on Beneteau in 2021, Jérôme de Metz, then CEO of the Beneteau Group, told Boat Industry it was “a violent and traumatic episode. From one day to the next, you have nothing. No numerical control machines, no printer… 500 servers were attacked within the Beneteau group.

“You need a lot of methods in such chaos. As one expert told me, in this case, it’s almost war medicine. We had to establish priorities. We made the choice to prioritise production. But we had to shut down production for three to four weeks, depending on the plant, in the middle of the preparation period for the nautical season, with a good order book. Almost all of the year’s growth evaporated in this ordeal. Two and a half months later, we are still not at 100 per cent.”

In 2022, a group of Anonymous hackers renamed the superyacht reportedly owned by Russian President Vladimir Putin to ‘FCKPTN’ and changed its destination to ‘hell’ by manipulating its maritime data.

Brunswick Corporation describes itself as the global leader in marine recreation, and is home to more than 60 brands. In the category of marine propulsion, these brands include, Mercury Marine, Mercury Racing and MerCruiser.

Brunswick’s collection of parts, accessories, distribution, and technology brands includes Mercury Engine Parts & Accessories, BLA and Land ‘N’ Sea. Its Navico Group brands consist of Lowrance, Simrad, B&G, Mastervolt, RELiON, Attwood and Whale while its boat brands include Boston Whaler, Lund, Sea Ray, Bayliner, Harris Pontoons, Princecraft and Quicksilver.

Further to this, it has digital and shared-access businesses including Freedom Boat Club, Boateka and a range of financing, insurance, and extended warranty businesses.

MIN has asked for further details of which brands are affected.

Brunswick recently published its 2022 Sustainability Report.