Ski-doos are packaged and boxed on the assembly line making snowmobiles at BRP Inc., in Valcourt, Quebec, Oct. 8, 2020.Christinne Muschi/Christinne Muschi/The Globe and
BRP Inc. plans to bring its snowmobile factory in Valcourt, Que., back online in the coming days but the rest of its operations remain suspended after the company was hit by a cyberattack earlier this week.
The maker of Sea-Doo watercraft and Ski-Doo snowmobiles said Thursday it is aiming to resume production at the Valcourt site Monday. The restart would come roughly one week after the company said it was the target of “malicious cybersecurity activity” and suspended operations as a precaution.
BRP gave no reason why Valcourt would be up and running and not other sites. Workers at the plant, which is near the company headquarters, crank out Ski-Doo snowmobiles and Can-Am Spyder 3-wheel vehicles.
BRP teams are working around the clock to resolve the situation and have made progress restoring some servers, the company said in a statement Thursday. It said the bulk of its operations remain suspended “temporarily, which might delay certain transactions with customers and suppliers.”
The attack represents another setback for BRP chief executive José Boisjoli, who has had to contend with multiple challenges in recent months, including a shortage of electronic components that has limited the company’s ability to satisfy consumer demand and replenish dealer inventories. In a video posted in April, the CEO apologized to customers for the delays.
Shares in BRP fell 1.5 per cent in early afternoon trading on the Toronto Stock Exchange, to $99.07.
BRP has 11 manufacturing plants located in Canada, the United States, Austria, Finland, Mexico and Australia in addition to distribution and support sites. It employs about 20,000 people.
The company has not given any information about who attacked its computer systems or whether it even knows their identity.
The federal government warned Canadian businesses and organizations in February about the increased threat of cyberattacks and malicious software amid Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. It urged them to take action to bolster their online defences.
Communications Security Establishment, a government agency responsible for signals intelligence and cybersecurity in Canada, said at the time that it is monitoring threats directed at infrastructure networks and has been issuing bulletins or public advisories. The agency is also relaying confidential information through protected channels about new forms of malware and other tactics, techniques and procedures being used to target victims.
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