Foxconn cyberattack disrupts North American facilities, data breach alleged

After the ransomware group Nitrogen claimed to have stolen roughly 8 TB of internal data, Foxconn confirmed that several of its North American facilities suffered a cyberattack. The incident disrupted manufacturing sites of the company, a key electronics supplier for Apple and other major brands.

According to WIRED, the attackers say they accessed a broad range of information, including materials on client projects. The ransomware group is trying to extort Foxconn, alleging it stole 8 TB of data, including schematics and project details from clients such as Dell, Google, Apple, and Nvidia.

This is not the first ransomware attack on Foxconn. The company has previously faced similar incidents in Mexico and other regions, where production lines were disrupted and ransom demands were made in cryptocurrency.

Some of the current attack's effects reportedly led to disruptions at US facilities. An employee, who asked to remain anonymous, described being told to shut down computers and not log into the system. Timekeeping terminals were down, so paper timesheets were used to track hours.

Network infrastructure issues and temporary stoppages of some processes were also reported. Meanwhile, sources indicate that the files released by the attackers do not contain any confirmed materials directly tied to Apple.

Foxconn says the situation is under control and that the affected plants are now returning to normal operations.

Experts point out that the attack follows a growing trend of ransomware campaigns targeting large manufacturing supply chains. The primary goal is not just data theft but also disruption of logistics and production.