German chipmaker Semikron hit by ransomware attack

German power electronics manufacturer Semikron has discovered that it became a victim of a ransomware attack that partially encrypted the firm’s network.

Semikron has over 3,000 employees in 24 offices and 8 production sites worldwide across Germany, Brazil, China, France, India, Italy, Slovakia, and the USA, with a turnover of around $461 million in 2020.

Semikron disclosed the data security incident in a statement published on Aug 1:

The SEMIKRON Group has been the victim of a cyberattack by a professional hacker group. As part of this attack, the perpetrators have claimed to have stolen data from our system.

The attack has also led to partial encryption of our IT systems and files. The entire network is currently being studied and adjusted forensic.

According to an alert issued by the German Federal Office for Information Security, the threat actors are blackmailing the company and threatening to leak allegedly stolen data.

As US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi began her visit to Taiwan, the Taiwanese websites were hit with a series of DDoS attacks. While it is not yet clear who was behind the attacks, experts say that they could be the work of Chinese hackers.