Ferrari hit by cyberattack demanding customer details

Luxury Italian carmaker Ferrari has revealed it was a victim of a cyberattack targeting confidential information about its customers, but said it had refused a ransom demand.

In a statement late on Monday, the firm said it had informed customers and was working to reinforce the security of its systems, adding that there was "no impact on the operational functions of our company".

"Ferrari was recently contacted by a threat actor with a ransom demand related to certain client contact details," it said.

The hackers "had access to certain customer data such as names, addresses, email addresses and telephone numbers, but not bank details", a spokesman told AFP on Tuesday.

"To our knowledge, nothing has been released on the internet for the moment. We are monitoring the situation very closely."

After it received an unspecified demand for ransom, Ferrari said it began an investigation with the help of a cybersecurity firm and informed the authorities.

"As a policy, Ferrari will not be held to ransom as paying such demands funds criminal activity and enables threat actors to perpetuate their attacks," the statement said.

Chief executive Benedetto Vigna has written to clients to inform them of the incident.

"Ferrari takes the confidentiality of our clients very seriously and understands the significance of this incident," the firm said.