iPhone chipmaker hit by major virus

One of Apple's key hardware suppliers for the iPhone has revealed it was hit by a crippling virus that affected much of its production line.

TSMC, which manufacturers chips for the iPhone and many top-end mobile devices, said that its factories, including the systems used to build its products, were taken down by a virus on Friday evening.

The Taiwan-based company said that 80 per cent of the fabrication tools affected had now been restored, with a complete recovery expected today, but warned that shipments could be delayed due to the attack.

TSMC virus

According to Bloomberg, the virus originated from a mistake made during software installation that then spread throughout TSMC's network.

It is not thought yet that the attack will delay the much-expected iPhone 9, thought to be under construction now before an expected reveal in September, but the news came as TSMC ups production in anticipation of the launch from its biggest customer.

The company said that no confidential information was compromised in the virus attack, and most customers have been notified.

“TSMC has been attacked by viruses before, but this is the first time a virus attack has affected our production lines,” company CFO Lora Ho told Bloomberg.

“TSMC has taken actions to close this security gap and further strengthen security measures."

Via Bloomberg