Britain’s government is working hand-in-hand with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) as the automaker grapples with a crippling cyberattack that has kept its factories offline for more than three weeks.

JLR, the country’s largest carmaker, confirmed earlier this week that its plants will remain closed until at least September 24. The shutdown began in the first days of the month, after hackers forced the company to halt production in an attempt to contain the breach.

The extended stoppage is rippling far beyond JLR itself. The company’s supply chain stretches across the UK, supporting more than 104,000 jobs, many of them in small and medium-sized firms that depend heavily on JLR’s business.

That growing pressure has sparked fears of layoffs. Unite, the trade union representing many automotive workers, has already sounded the alarm, warning that government intervention may be the only way to prevent job losses if the crisis drags on.

In a joint statement, the government and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) said cyber experts are in close contact with JLR to help restore operations and assess the potential damage to suppliers.

For now, thousands of workers and suppliers across the UK are left waiting—caught in the fallout of a digital attack that has stalled one of Britain’s flagship manufacturers. Photo by David Long, Wikimedia commons.