More Than 46,000 TSMC Employees' Personal Records Offered for Sale Online
Hacker Claims to Have Obtained Emergency Contact Details Along with Other Personal Information
TSMC Acknowledges Personal Data Leak
Personal information belonging to more than 46,000 current and former employees of Taiwan's TSMC, the world's largest foundry, has been leaked.
According to local media, including the United Daily News, a post recently appeared on the hacking forums DarkForums and BreachForums offering 6.9 gigabytes (GB) of TSMC employee data for three bitcoins, worth about KRW 280 million.
The hacker claimed to have information in 19 categories, including employees' names, dates of birth, job titles, nationalities, identification numbers, addresses, mobile phone numbers, email addresses and banking information, as well as emergency contact details. The hacker said all the data would be released if no buyer came forward within a week.
The authenticity of the more than 46,000 records has not yet been verified. However, TSMC said on November 12 that it had confirmed some current and former employees' information was posted on an external website without authorization.
TSMC said, "There is currently no evidence that our information systems were hacked," adding that "the leaked information matches data in the systems of a cloud service provider."
TSMC is working with the cloud service provider and cybersecurity agencies to investigate the cause, scale and route of the leak and take follow-up measures.
Hot Picks Today
"Two Spend 500,000 Won in a Flash, Yet Wait Two Hours?" ... 'Dreamland' Shunned by Kids and Foreign Tourists
- The Era of Getting 200 Million Won After 30 Years Is Over... A Japanese Bank's "Perpetual Department Head" Who Just Clocked In Cries Out
- Spain Hit by Its Worst Tragedy... Lee Kangin, Moreno and Real Madrid Join Soccer World in Mourning
- They Said, “Make It Your Home for Life” - Then Suddenly Kicked 200 Passengers Off... What Happened to the Around-the-World Cruise?
- "130 Rice Bowls Sold Out in a Day"... 'Unfiltered Face' Adds 8 Million Won to Night Market Sales: China's Bungeunwoo
On November 12, Taiwan's Ministry of Digital Affairs said that personal information relating to 8 million records had been leaked from more than 10 Taiwanese companies, as well as central and local government agencies, including the Bureau of Consular Affairs under Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Taipei City Department of Civil Affairs. It urged businesses and the public to exercise caution, noting that cyberattacks using artificial intelligence (AI) are an international trend.
© The Asia Business Daily. All rights reserved. Unauthorized AI training and use prohibited.
