Dutch-headquartered chipmaker Nexperia was victim of a hacking attack by cyber criminals last month, the Chinese-owned company said on Friday, and was investigating the incident with the help of outside specialists. According to RTL, the stolen information include trade secrets, chip designs, and data relating to customers such as Apple, Huawei, and SpaceX. It said that “dozens” of confidential documents were available on the dark web.Nexperia, known for chips used in telephones and cars, confirmed to the broadcaster that it was hacked last month but would say nothing further due to the ongoing investigation.
Nexperia, which was acquired by the Chinese company Wingtech Technology in 2019, focuses on simpler chips for everyday products. It produces over 100 billion of these chips, used worldwide in everything from smartphones to refrigerators and vacuums, every year. Last year, Nieuwsuur reported that Nexperia chips were also found in Russian military drones and missiles.
Headquartered in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, Nexperia is a subsidiary of China’s Wingtech, a partially state-owned semiconductor and communications business. It has more than 15,000 employees across Europe, Asia, and the United States
The company said it had started an investigation with the support of third-party experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident. It did not say if it had suffered any damage or losses as a result of the hack, but RTL said the cyber criminals had published dozens of confidential documents on the dark web in a demand for ransom.
Headquartered in the Netherlands, Nexperia is a global semiconductor company with a rich European history and over 15,000 employees across Europe, Asia, and the United States. As a leading expert in the development and production of essential semiconductors, Nexperia’s components enable the basic functionality of virtually every electronic design in the world – from automotive and industrial to mobile and consumer applications.
The company serves a global customer base, shipping more than 100 billion products annually. These products are recognized as benchmarks in efficiency – in process, size, power, and performance. Nexperia’s commitment to innovation, efficiency, sustainability, and stringent industry requirements is evident in its extensive IP portfolio, its expanding product range, and its certification to IATF 16949, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, and ISO 45001 standards.
Jeffrey Newman is a whistleblower lawyer whose firm represents whistleblowers in healthcare fraud cases under the False Claims Act (FCA) and also under the Securities and Exchange, FINCEN and CFTC whistleblower programs. He can be reached at Jeff@JeffNewmanLaw.com or at 617-823-3217
