TSMC confirms Thrid Party Supplier Breach

TSMC, the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturer, has apparently been hit by a cyberattack at the hands of Russian ransomware gang LockBit.

TSMC says one of its suppliers, IT services provider Kinmax, has been breached, which in turn may have led to the chipmaker’s data being stolen.

TSMC, based out of Taiwan, is leading the semiconductor supply chain, manufacturing 95% of the world’s leading-edge chips for companies such as Apple, AMD, Nvidia, and Qualcomm.

LockBit has not specified the amount of data it managed to steal, but it has set a deadline of 6 August for payment of the ransom, or it claims it will release the data onto the dark web for all to see.

TSMC has issued a statement saying that it is aware of an intrusion into its systems via a third-party hardware supplier, “which led to the leak of information pertinent to server initial setup and configuration.” It claims no customer data was exposed in the breach.

TSMC has immediately terminated its data exchange with this concerned supplier in accordance with the company’s security protocols and standard operating procedures.

LockBit is a Russian ransomware gang that emerged onto the cybercriminal landscape in 2019. Up to the first quarter of 2023, LockBit has had a total of 1,653 alleged victims and gained about $91m.