WannaCry shuts down Honda car manufacturing plant

Honda was forced to halt production at a Japanese vehicle plant for a day this week after finding the WannaCry ransomware that struck globally last month in its computer network.

The carmaker shut production on Monday at its Sayama plant, northwest of Tokyo, which produces the Accord sedan, Odyssey Minivan and Step Wagon, and which has a daily output of around 1000 vehicles. 

Honda discovered that the virus had affected networks across Japan, North America, Europe, China and other regions, a spokeswoman for the company said.

It came despite efforts to secure its systems in mid-May when the virus caused widespread disruption at plants, hospitals and shops worldwide.

Production at other plants operated by the carmaker had not been affected, and regular operations had resumed at the Sayama plant on Tuesday, the spokeswoman said.

The spread of the WannaCry ransomware, which locked up more than 200,000 computers in more than 150 countries, has slowed since last month, but security experts have warned that new versions of the worm may strike. 

Rival automakers Renault and Nissan were also affected by the virus last month, when they stopped production at plants in Japan, Britain, France, Romania and India.