Nucor Corporation, the largest steel manufacturer in North America, has temporarily shut down production at several of its facilities after a significant cybersecurity incident involving unauthorized access to its information technology systems.
The breach, which was detected earlier this week, forced the company to take immediate action to contain the threat and protect its operations.
Upon discovering the intrusion, Nucor activated its incident response plan, proactively taking potentially affected systems offline and implementing a series of containment, remediation, and recovery measures.
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The company has engaged leading external cybersecurity experts to assist in the ongoing investigation and has notified federal law enforcement authorities.
“Upon detecting the incident, the Company began promptly taking steps to contain and respond to the incident, including activating its incident response plan, proactively taking potentially affected systems offline and implementing other containment, remediation, or recovery measures,” Nucor stated in its regulatory filing.
While the company has not disclosed which specific facilities were affected, the shutdown has impacted multiple sites across Nucor’s extensive network of steel mills, fabrication plants, and recycling centers.
Nucor operates approximately 300 locations in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada, employing over 32,000 people and producing about 25% of all raw steel in the United States.
The full scope and impact of the cyberattack remain unclear, and Nucor has not specified whether sensitive data was stolen or if ransomware was involved.
As of now, no group has claimed responsibility for the attack, and the company has declined to provide further details, citing the ongoing nature of the investigation.
Nucor’s swift response included taking some production systems offline “in an abundance of caution,” with the company now working to safely restart affected operations.
The shutdown comes at a time when the manufacturing sector faces increasing cyber threats, with recent reports indicating that manufacturers are among the most targeted industries for cyberattacks, often due to reliance on legacy technology and the critical nature of their infrastructure.
Industry analysts warn that attacks on companies like Nucor can have significant ripple effects throughout the supply chain, given the company’s role as a primary supplier of steel for construction, infrastructure, and manufacturing across North America.
The company has assured stakeholders that it is taking all necessary steps to restore normal operations and will continue to monitor the incident as the investigation progresses.
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