Foxconn, a multinational electronics manufacturer and major supplier to Apple, said some of its North American facilities were impacted by a cyberattack.  

A threat group tracked as “Nitrogen” took credit for the attack earlier this week, claiming to have stolen more than eight terabytes of data, comprising 11 million files, from the company, according to security researchers from Arctic Wolf. 

The hackers also claim to have stolen schematics from other major technology companies, Arctic Wolf said.

Foxconn did not provide any specific details about the timing or claims related to the attack. 

Foxconn confirmed that it is in the process of restoring normal operations to the affected facilities, according to a spokesperson. The company’s cybersecurity team immediately activated response initiatives and took “multiple operational measures to ensure the continuity of production and delivery,” the spokesperson said.

Foxonn operates more than 230 factories and offices across 24 countries worldwide. The company has an extensive presence in the U.S., with operations in Wisconsin, Texas and other states. 

Nitrogen ransomware

Nitrogen is a double-extortion ransomware group that became known in September 2024, according to researchers at Symantec and Carbon Black. The group has targeted various industry sectors, including manufacturing, technology, construction and financial services. 

A recent attack using Nitrogen ransomware utilized a technique known as Bring Your Own Vulnerable Driver. A vulnerable driver in Topaz Antifraud, tracked as CVE-2023-52271, was exploited to disable antivirus tools on a victim network. 

Nitrogen typically does not target large enterprises directly, but attacks through softer entry points in the supply chain. 

“Instead, they are deliberately targeting mid-sized companies tied to industrial operations and supply chains, which tells you a lot about how they operate,” Ismael Valenzuela, VP of threat intelligence research at Arctic Wolf, told Cybersecurity Dive. “These are businesses that keep supply chains running but often lack the depth of security resources found in large enterprises, making them a reliable and repeatable target.”

Researchers from Halcyon said Nitrogen originally spun out of the AlphV threat group in 2023. 

Foxconn and OpenAI

Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Technology Group, is one of the largest electronics manufacturers in the world. The company in November signed a deal with the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp. to expand its Mount Pleasant, Wis., facilities and invest an additional $569 million into the site. 

The company also entered an agreement with OpenAI in November to undertake design work related to AI infrastructure hardware. The companies agreed to co-design and engineer data center racks and Foxconn will manufacture cabling, networking, cooling and power systems.