technology
Ransomware Group Claims Theft of 8 TB of Data From Foxconn
A ransomware group known as Nitrogen listed Foxconn on its breach site on Monday and said it stole 8 TB of data including schematics and project details from customers such as Dell, Google, Apple and Nvidia. Foxconn acknowledged a cyberattack on some North American factories and said affected sites are resuming normal production.
May 12, 5:52 PM·2m read2 sources
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A ransomware group is attempting to extort the electronics manufacturing giant Foxconn, stating that it stole 8 TB of data from the company, including schematics and project details from customers including Dell, Google, Apple, and Nvidia. Foxconn did not immediately respond to a request for comment about the validity of the claims.
The company acknowledged that some of its North American factories suffered a cyberattack in recent days. Affected factories are currently resuming normal production after outages. Foxconn serves as a key manufacturing contractor for electronic components or entire devices.
It holds its own intellectual property as well as that of its customers. The scale of its operations and the sensitive data it maintains make it a frequent target for ransomware and data extortion actors.
The company has faced a number of extortion attempts in recent years. The LockBit group hit another Foxconn facility in Mexico in May 2022 and disrupted production. Most recently, LockBit attacked a subsidiary called Foxsemicon Integrated Technology in 2024 with defacements and data breach claims.
Nitrogen, the group behind the latest incident, emerged in 2023. It has been steadily active with some spikes, including at the end of 2024, and has connections to the ALPHV/BlackCat ransomware group.
In addition to attempting to extort victims by threatening to release stolen data, Nitrogen often deploys traditional ransomware that encrypts a target's systems. Researchers say that the group's ransomware program was built off of widely repurposed Conti 2 code.
