Foxconn confirmed Monday that it was targeted in a cyberattack that affected some of its facilities in North America, as ransomware group Nitrogen claimed responsibility for breaching the electronics manufacturing company and stealing millions of files.
Foxconn said in a statement sent to media outlets that the affected factories were in the process of resuming normal production following the incident.
The company did not disclose how many facilities were impacted or whether manufacturing operations for specific customers experienced disruptions.
Hackers Claim Theft Of Customer Information
Nitrogen published a statement on its dark web leak site claiming responsibility for the attack.
The group alleged that it stole more than 11 million files from Foxconn systems, including confidential information connected to customers such as Apple, Dell, Google, Intel, Nvidia, and other technology companies.
As evidence of the breach, the hackers reportedly released images appearing to show product schematics, corporate guidelines, and bank statements.
Foxconn manufactures devices and components for several major technology firms, including Apple, Google, Nvidia, and Sony.
The company did not immediately respond to questions regarding the scope of the attack, the validity of the hackers’ claims, or whether customer data had been verified as compromised.
Nitrogen Uses Double-Extortion Ransomware Tactics
The article described Nitrogen as a double-extortion ransomware operation.
Under this approach, attackers first steal company data before encrypting systems and files. The stolen information is then used as additional leverage during ransom negotiations because the attackers can threaten to publicly release the data if payment demands are not met.
This strategy allows ransomware groups to profit both from system disruption and from the risk of public data exposure.
Featured image credits: Flickr
For more stories like it, click the +Follow button at the top of this page to follow us.