Foxconn, the electronics manufacturing giant that builds components and devices for Apple, Google, Nvidia, and Sony, has confirmed it was hit by a ransomware attack that compromised North American factories, according to TechCrunch.
The hackers—a ransomware gang calling itself Nitrogen—have stolen over 11 million files and are threatening to leak confidential information from tech companies unless Foxconn pays up. They are not just locking up files and demanding cash.
The stolen data includes product schematics, internal guidelines, and bank statements from Apple, Dell, Google, Intel, and Nvidia. Nitrogen posted screenshots of what appear to be proprietary documents on their dark web leak site.
Nitrogen operates a double-extortion scheme: encrypt files to make them unusable, then steal them so they can threaten to release the data publicly.
Foxconn says affected factories are already resuming normal production, but the company has not responded to detailed questions about what was compromised or how the breach occurred.
For Apple, Google, and Nvidia, companies that guard their supply chain information closely, this breach poses a significant risk. The question now is whether Foxconn will meet the extortion demands.
