14 DAY TRIAL // Unidentified individuals gained access to the computer network of ASML, a provider of photolithography systems for the semiconductor industry, the company discovered recently.
Headquartered in Veldhoven, Netherlands, ASML Holding manufactures machines for the production of integrated circuits (CPUs, DRAM, flash memory) and it is one of the leaders in the industry.
No sensitive info has been accessed, company says
In a brief statement on Sunday, the company said that the intrusion affected only a small number of its systems and that measures to contain the breach were deployed immediately after discovery.
An investigation has been initiated to learn more about the breach incident and the attackers. According to information from the company, the intruders were present for a short period of time on its machines and they accessed only a limited amount of data.
“ASML has not found any evidence that valuable files, either from ASML or our customers and suppliers, have been compromised. We cannot be certain about the identity of the hackers,” the official statement reads.
The company says it is a frequent target of cyber-attacks, and its defenses and detection capabilities are improved continuously. The current attack appears to be regarded as a minor incident, but given ASML’s activity profile, there is room for cyber-espionage speculation.
Attribution is a difficult task
One Dutch publication said that it received confirmation from multiple anonymous sources that government-backed Chinese hackers were behind the incident. The same news outlet reported that the Dutch branch of the company was not the only one hit and that the French one also faced a cyber-attack.
However, correct attribution of a cyber incident to a particular threat actor is far from being an easy task. Hackers can rely on compromised machines located anywhere in the world to carry out their operation; and they often leave red herrings (false leads) behind, to throw investigators off the scent.