The headquarters of computer chipmaker Nexperia is seen in Nijmegen, Netherlands. Nexperia said it was monitoring developments but could not disclose more details because the investigation was ongoing. — Reuters
THE HAGUE: Dutch-based chip maker Nexperia said April 12 it has launched a probe after its computer servers were hacked last month, with a local media reporting that large quantities of data may have been stolen.
Chinese-owned Nexperia, which makes semiconductors and other electronic products, said it “became aware that an unauthorised third party accessed certain Nexperia IT servers in March 2024”.
Based in the central Dutch city of Nijmegen, Nexperia said it promptly disconnected the affected systems from the Internet.
“We also launched an investigation with the support of third-party experts to determine the nature and scope of the incident and took strong measures to terminate the unauthorised access,” it said in a statement.
The online breach was also reported to Dutch authorities.
Nexperia said it was monitoring developments but could not disclose more details because the investigation was ongoing.
Dutch private broadcaster RTL – which first reported the breach – however said hundreds of gigabytes of "sensitive" information may have been stolen.
"The criminals behind the attack are threatening to publish the company's crown jewels if they refuse to pay a ransom," RTL added.
Once part of Dutch electronics giant Philips and its semiconductor spin-off NXP, Nexperia was eventually bought by China's Wingtech Technology in 2018.
It makes chips for everyday household goods such as cars and refrigerators.
Semiconductors have become a key battleground between China and the West in recent years.
Washington and the Netherlands are among the powers that have imposed restrictions on exporting advanced chip-making equipment to China, fearing Beijing could use it to make cutting-edge weapons.
Beijing has described these moves as "technological terrorism". – AFP
