Even the big boys occasionally get hit with computer viruses, trojans, ransomeware, and malware.
iPhone maker/supplier TSMC was shut down over the weekend when the WannaCry computer ransomware virus infected fabrication tools. The virus left the equipment unusable while it was being removed.
The infection was detailed as follows:
TSMC said that 80 percent of the fabrication tools affected by a virus outbreak Friday evening had been restored and that it expects full recovery on Monday. The Taiwanese company said the incident, which comes as it ramps up chipmaking for Apple Inc.’s next iPhones, would delay shipments, without specifying which customers would be affected. Its shares fell more than 1 percent in Taipei.
The conventional wisdom is that given that TSMC prioritizes Apple’s business, this probably won’t have a significant impact on the availability of the new iPhone models that are set for release this fall. TSMC’s other, and smaller, clients, may have been impacted more significantly by the ransomeware.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via The Mac Observer and Bloomberg