The Japanese tire manufacturer Bridgestone has announced an investigation into a cybersecurity incident in North America that disrupted operations at several of its factories. The first reports of outages surfaced on September 2, when production issues were recorded at two Bridgestone Americas facilities in Aiken County, South Carolina. The following day, Canadian media reported similar disruptions at a plant in Joliette, Quebec.
In an official statement, Bridgestone confirmed that the event was indeed a cyber incident. Company representatives emphasized that the response was swift and aligned with internal protocols, allowing the threat to be contained at an early stage. Preliminary findings suggest that no customer data or external interfaces were compromised.
The company noted that staff are working around the clock to minimize the impact and ensure continuity in the supply chain. Although the scope of the incident appears limited, Bridgestone acknowledged that disruptions could still affect product availability in the market. The corporation stressed that preserving business operations and safeguarding information systems remain its top priorities.
Bridgestone Americas, the North American arm of the world’s largest tire manufacturer, operates 50 factories and employs 55,000 people, accounting for roughly 43% of the company’s global workforce. In 2024, this division alone generated $12 billion in revenue and $1.2 billion in operating profit. Such large-scale industrial enterprises are increasingly attractive targets for cybercriminals.
It remains unclear whether the attack was linked to ransomware groups. Bridgestone has not disclosed the exact nature of the intrusion but confirmed that the investigation is ongoing. As of publication, no known threat actor has claimed responsibility.
The incident is particularly noteworthy in light of Bridgestone’s history. In 2022, the company was targeted by the LockBit ransomware group, which exfiltrated confidential data. That experience prompted Bridgestone to strengthen its security posture—measures that, according to the company, enabled it to halt the spread of this latest attack more rapidly.
