Semiconductor manufacturing equipment supplier Applied Materials has recently revealed one of its suppliers suffered from a $250 million ransomware attack. The true extent of the damage is still relatively unknown and may end up costing more than the original estimate.
Applied Materials never named the supplier that was attacked, but industry experts believe it is the technology and engineering company MKS Instruments, reports SourceEngine.
This recent ransomware attack is the latest in similar cyber-attacks on the semiconductor supply chain. According to reports, in 2022 there were 600 documented ransomware attacks through the industrial infrastructure sector, up 87% from 2021. That’s more than double, according to the cybersecurity firm Dragos. Worse is that 437 of these 600 ransomware attacks targeted manufacturing.
In a further breakdown by the same study, 27 major ransomware attacks were on electronic and semiconductor manufacturers, including Apple supplier Foxconn.
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