China Used a Tiny Chip in a Hack That Infiltrated U.S. Companies
The attack by Chinese spies reached almost 30 U.S. companies by compromising America’s technology supply chain.
A new report by Bloomberg, which states that the clandestine microchips were first found by Amazon in 2015, which in turn reportedly alerted America’s intelligence agencies.
Amazon Web Services (AWS), which has a contract with the CIA, was investigating a company called Elemental Technologies for a potential acquisition when it allegedly uncovered the microchips. Elemental’s products, along with that of a company called Supermicro, are used by everyone from the U.S. Navy to the CIA.
“The chips had been inserted during the manufacturing process, two officials say, by operatives from a unit of the People’s Liberation Army. In Supermicro, China’s spies appear to have found a perfect conduit for what U.S. officials now describe as the most significant supply chain attack known to have been carried out against American companies.”
