Hydro working to restore operations after cyber attack

OSLO, Mar 20 (Reuters): Norsk Hydro, one of the world's largest aluminum producers, has made some progress in restoring operations but is not yet back to normal after a ransomware cyber attack, the company said on Wednesday.

After the attack began late on Monday, the company had to shut several plants that transform aluminum ingots into components for car makers, builders and other industries, while its smelters in Norway were largely operating on a manual basis.

"Hydro still does not have the full overview of the timeline towards normal operations, and it is still (too) early to estimate the exact operational and financial impact," the company said in a statement.

But Hydro said its technical team, working with external support, had detected the root cause of the problems and was working to restart the company's IT systems.

"Progress has been made, with the expectation to restart certain systems during Wednesday, which would allow for continued deliveries to customers," Hydro said of its Extruded Solutions unit as well as of Rolled Products.

The two divisions are key to the company's downstream operation, serving a range of industries with bespoke aluminum components, as well as metal sheets used for packaging, transport and construction.