China hardware attack infiltrates over 30 US companies

Image: Bloomberg Businessweek

The attack by Chinese spies reached almost 30 U.S. companies, including Amazon and Apple, by compromising America’s technology supply chain, according to extensive interviews with government and corporate sources.

The Bloomberg Businessweek report claims a tiny chip, smaller than the head of a pencil, was added to hardware manufactured in China by the US owned Super Micro Computer Inc.

The compromised hardware was then installed in systems used by large corporations such as Apple, Amazon and government contractors within the US leaving them open & vulnerable.

Apple & Amazon vehemently deny the report and refute that either of them contacted the FBI when the added chip was discovered.

Whilst Bloomberg have reported there’s no direct evidence that any data has been obtained through the addition of these malicious chips the full extent of exactly what they were doing and what has been extracted because of it may take years to come to light.

Definitely worth the read!

Source: The Big Hack: How China Used a Tiny Chip to Infiltrate U.S. Companies – Bloomberg