Foxconn was attacked by data encryption, possibly revealing Apple secrets

Theo Wiredthe Nitrogen hacker group is blackmailing electronics manufacturer Foxconn, claiming to have stolen 11 million files with a total capacity of 8 terabytes from the company, including circuit diagrams and project details from major customers such as Dell, Google, Nvidia, Intel and Apple.

Foxconn has not responded to the authenticity of the information, but admitted that some of its North American factories “have suffered cyber attacks” in recent days and are “resuming normal production” after temporarily suspending operations.

The problem began on May 1, causing the network system at Foxconn’s Mount Pleasant (Wisconsin) and Houston (Texas) facilities to paralyze. Some employees said the factory’s wifi network and core infrastructure crashed, forcing them to turn off their computers and record working hours on manual paper.

Technology page Apple Insider said it was unclear whether the stolen documents were related to current or future Apple projects, but Foxconn’s Wisconsin factory mainly produces televisions and data servers rather than Apple devices.

However, the information still makes the technology world worried because Apple always implements strict information security procedures with supply partners. This is not the first time Apple’s largest manufacturing partner has become a victim of extortion. In December 2020, a facility in Mexico was attacked, hackers demanded a ransom of 34.6 million USD in Bitcoin. In 2022 and 2024, malware groups such as LockBit also targeted Foxconn’s branch in Mexico and its subsidiary Foxsemicon.

Researchers from security company Coveware warn that Nitrogen is believed to be a branch split from the famous hacker group Conti 2. The worrying point is that this group’s encryption tool is said to be experiencing a serious technical error that means files may not be recovered, even if the victim accepts to pay the ransom.

Apple and related parties such as Nvidia and Google have not commented on the extent to which this incident affects their business secrets.