Analog Devices Inc. is assessing a new claim by a group of hackers who say they’ve stolen hundreds files containing information on customers of the computer chips maker.
A hacking group known as ExfilSquad has claimed to have breached Analog Devices and is threatening to release sensitive customer data unless its demands are met, according to the cybersecurity firm DeXpose. Analog Devices said in a filing July 29 that it was made aware of reports and is assessing “validity, scope, and any potential impact.”
Analog Devices said in the same filing that it had separately uncovered unauthorized access to its systems last month and determined that some files were “exfiltrated.” Operations weren’t interrupted by the breach, which was identified on June 23, the Wilmington, Massachusetts-based firm said. The investigation is ongoing, and the company has notified law enforcement.
The files haven’t been publicly released or used for fraudulent purposes, and the company is monitoring for any indication of misuse, according to a company spokesperson.
Retailers, manufacturers, hospitals and schools are among the institutions that have suffered from ransomware attacks in recent years. Ransomware refers to a type of malicious software code that hackers use to encrypt victims’ computer files and hold them hostage unless they’re paid off. The practice has continued to generate easy profits for hackers.
Analog Devices’ disclosure follows a tumultuous week in cybersecurity, after OpenAI disclosed that a set of its advanced AI models inadvertently hacked Hugging Face Inc. in an “unprecedented incident.” The systems broke into Hugging Face’s network, which hosts AI models and datasets, during an evaluation of their cyber capabilities.
Those models also gained access to a customer on the cloud platform Modal and used it to launch attacks. The Modal customer, who wasn’t identified, set up a publicly accessible interface that allowed anyone on the internet to use their “sandbox” testing environment, and the rogue OpenAI agent used it, a Modal executive said on Tuesday.
Photo: The Analog Devices Inc. headquarters in Wilmington, Massachusetts. Photographer: Mel Musto/Bloomberg
Topics Cyber