Foxconn, the Taiwanese contract manufacturer of several popular consumer electronics, has confirmed falling prey to a ransomware attack.
The company said one of its plants in Mexico was hit by a ransomware attack in late May, which caused minimal disruption to its overall work. While Foxconn didnโt disclose whoโs the threat actor behind, the LockBit ransomware group claimed responsibility with a deadline upto 11th June, threatening Foxconn to leak its stole data.
Ransomware Attack on Foxconn Factory
Foxconn is one of the significant contract manufacturers today, making products for iPhones, iPads, PlayStation consoles, TVs, etc., for popular brands like Apple, Sony, Motorola, Cisco, etc. It has three facilities in Mexico that produce computers, LCD TVs, mobile devices, and set-top boxes.
And one among them โ the factory in Tijuana, Mexico has, fell victim to a ransomware attack in late May! This was confirmed by Foxconn today, where the company stated having minimal impact on its overall production since theyโre recovering according to a predetermined plan.
โThe disruption caused to business operations will be handled through production capacity adjustment. The cybersecurity attack is estimated to have little impact on the Groupโs overall operations. Relevant information about the incident is also provided instantly to our management, clients, and suppliersโ
The Tijuana plant in Mexico is considered a strategic one by Foxconn. It acts as a critical supply hub for the U.S. state of California, which is a significant consumer of electronics.
Though Foxconn didnโt mention the threat actor behind this incident, the LockBit ransomware group claimed responsibility for their attack on May 31. Without saying what data it has stolen from Foxconn, the group state June 11th is the deadline to receive a ransom.
How much LockBit has demanded Foxconn is unknown, but we expect it to be huge, considering the records of LockBit hitting big companies with hefty ransom demands. After the said deadline, LockBit warns to publish the data stolen from this incident.