Apple Chip Supplier TSMC Affected by WannaCry Malware
Last updated June 23, 2021
- Apple Chip Supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company revealed that the recent security breach which caused factory downtime was due to unpatched versions of Windows.
- Several factories were shut down by attackers because the systems were not up to date with Microsoft’s latest operating system.
- It is estimated that the production downtime can reduce the quarterly revenue by up to 3%.
Apple’s A-series chipset manufacturer TSMC recently suffered a virus attack which led to its fabrication tools being affected in multiple factories. The company was forced to halt the production of its chipsets for a short period of time, and the company recently revealed more data about the attack and how it affects the production of the upcoming Apple chipsets.
The virus attack occurred due to the WannaCry virus, one of the most dangerous malware seen in the history of Windows operating systems. While the OS was patched by Microsoft to secure the OS against the malware, systems at the Apple chipset manufacturer’s company were not updated to the latest version of Windows, which led to the attack. It was revealed in a report by TSMC that some of its systems at various factories running Windows 7 have not been updated in over a year.
The WannaCry ransomware was first seen in May last year, and it is estimated that over 200,000 PCs were affected globally. With TSMC not updating its systems in more than a year despite multiple patches against the ransomware being released, it can drastically affect the company’s sales. Many analysts have predicted that approximately 3% of the quarterly revenue will be lost by Apple’s chipset manufacturer due to the recent attack.
Apple is scheduled to release its new iPhone and iPad devices, and with reports from industry insiders revealing that TSMC was already behind the production schedule, things do not look too optimistic. It remains to be seen if sufficient stocks of the upcoming devices will be available globally and if TSMC will be able to ramp up production to keep up with global demand for Apple’s new devices.
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