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Continental said attackers infiltrated parts of its IT systems in an attack discovered in August 2022 and copied several terabytes of data. In November, the ransomware group LockBit claimed responsibility and threatened to publish stolen data, but Continental did not confirm that LockBit was behind the August incident.

What happened in the Continental cyberattack?

Continental’s 2022 annual report says the company discovered an attack in August 2022. Attackers had infiltrated parts of its IT systems and copied data before the incident was stopped. The company said an investigation was underway with external cybersecurity experts.

Continental reported receiving ransom demands from the alleged attackers. Its annual report states: “Continental did not respond to the demands.” It also said a hacker group published a list of data it claimed to possess.

Did LockBit hack Continental?

LockBit claimed responsibility in early November 2022 and threatened to publish data. That was the group’s claim, not a confirmation by Continental: the company did not publicly verify that LockBit carried out the August attack or connect the group to it.

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The threat was described at the time as a double-extortion tactic: attackers steal information and use the threat of disclosure to pressure a victim. The public claim and threat came after the August incident, so they should not be treated as independent proof of who conducted it.

What data was stolen from Continental?

Continental’s public account says data was copied but does not provide a complete inventory of the affected information. The company said a group published a list of data it claimed to have, but that does not establish that every item on the list was authentic or that the public has a full accounting of what was taken.

How much data did the hackers steal?

Continental’s 2022 annual report describes the copied amount as “several terabytes.” A more specific figure of 40 terabytes appeared in a 2022 Handelsblatt report, as attributed by Reuters; it is not the figure Continental gave in its annual report. The two figures therefore have different sources and levels of attribution.

An undated Cyber Breaches incident entry says the group offered the data for sale or destruction for $50 million. That is a secondary database’s account, not a ransom amount confirmed in Continental’s annual report.

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Did Continental pay the ransom?

Continental’s annual report says it did not respond to the demands. It does not report a ransom payment.

Was Continental’s business disrupted?

Continental said the attack did not affect its business activities at any point and that it maintained full control over its IT systems. The company’s account supports data theft and an extortion threat, but not a claim that production stopped or files were encrypted.

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What did Continental disclose later?

In a May 2026 prospectus, Continental said claims for information and damages were being asserted in connection with the cyberattack. The document also said no fines had been imposed in connection with the incident as of its date. It does not establish a final resolution of all claims.

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