Asustek Computer Inc late yesterday confirmed that one of its suppliers had been hacked, affecting the image-processing source code for some of its mobile phone cameras.
While Asus did not name the hacker, the company's statement followed earlier international news reports that the ransomware group Everest had claimed to have breached Asus and stolen more than 1 terabyte of data, including camera source code.
According to a report on Tuesday on the British cybercrime news site HackRead, Everest had not disclosed a ransom amount, but had stipulated that Asus must respond to the blackmail demand before 11pm yesterday via the encrypted messaging app qTox.
Photo: Taipei Times
HackRead also published images that it said were screenshots released by Everest, showing apparent leaks of data related to Asus artificial intelligence camera testing, camera modules and memory dumps.
In its statement, Asus confirmed that a breach had occurred, but said it was one of its suppliers that had been hacked.
The electronics giant did not name the supplier, saying only that the breach had affected the image-processing source code for some Asus mobile phone cameras, but had no impact on its products, internal systems or user privacy.
Asus continues to strengthen its supply-chain security and compliance with cybersecurity regulations, the statement said.
Everest ransomware is a type of malware that typically encrypts files, making them inaccessible to the victims.
The hackers then demand payment in exchange for the decryption code.
The group Everest reportedly is a Russian-linked ransomware gang that allegedly has been responsible for multiple ransomware attacks and data breaches in recent years, including attacks on the US sportswear company Under Armour and Spain's Iberia Airlines in the past two weeks.
Kenting National Park service technician Yang Jien-fon (楊政峰) won a silver award in World Grand Prix Photography Awards Spring Season for his photograph of two male rat snakes intertwined in combat. Yang’s colleagues at Kenting National Park said he is a master of nature photography who has been held back by his job in civil service. The awards accept entries in all four seasons across six categories: architectural and urban photography, black-and-white and fine art photography, commercial and fashion photography, documentary and people photography, nature and experimental photography, and mobile photography. Awards are ranked according to scores and divided into platinum, gold and
More than half of the bamboo vipers captured in Tainan in the past few years were found in the city’s Sinhua District (新化), while other districts had smaller catches or none at all. Every year, Tainan captures about 6,000 snakes which have made their way into people’s homes. Of the six major venomous snakes in Taiwan, the cobra, the many-banded krait, the brown-spotted pit viper and the bamboo viper are the most frequently captured. The high concentration of bamboo vipers captured in Sinhua District is puzzling. Tainan Agriculture Bureau Forestry and Nature Conservation Division head Chu Chien-ming (朱健明) earlier this week said that the
BREACH OF CONTRACT: The bus operators would seek compensation and have demanded that the manufacturer replace the chips with ones that meet regulations Two bus operators found to be using buses with China-made chips are to demand that the original manufacturers replace the systems and provide compensation for breach of contract, the Veterans Affairs Council said yesterday. Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Michelle Lin (林楚茵) yesterday said that Da Nan Bus Co and Shin-Shin Bus Co Ltd have fielded a total of 82 buses that are using Chinese chips. The bus models were made by Tron-E, while the systems provider was CYE Electronics, Lin said. Lin alleged that the buses were using chips manufactured by Huawei subsidiary HiSilicon Co, which presents a national security risk if the
The National Immigration Agency has banned two Chinese from returning to Taiwan, after they published social media content it described as disrespectful to national sovereignty. The agency imposed a two-month ban on a Chinese man surnamed Liang (梁) and a permanent ban on a woman surnamed Yang (楊), an influencer with 23 million followers, in October last year and last week respectively. Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) yesterday said on the sidelines of a legislative meeting that Chinese visitors to Taiwan are required to comply with the rules and regulations governing their entry permits. The government has handled the ban and
RSS