TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Over 70% of Taiwanese businesses said they have experienced ransomware attacks in their supply chains, a proportion higher than the global average.
That is according to a survey conducted by Sapio Research and commissioned by Trend Micro, a multinational cyber security software company. A total of 2,958 IT personnel from 26 countries holding managerial positions participated in the poll between May and June this year, per TechNews.
The research suggests that globally, 52% of businesses have encountered ransomware attacks throughout their supply chains, compared to 72% in Taiwan. Meanwhile, 76% of the Taiwanese companies hit by such cyberattacks in the past three years said their clients or partners were informed by perpetrators about the incidents, as a way of forcing them to pay a ransom.
The report also points out that about 61% of Taiwanese businesses’ supply chains are comprised of small and medium enterprises. The enterprises are relatively vulnerable due to their weak information security.
In June, Taiwanese iPhone manufacturer Foxconn reported that a factory in Mexico suffered such an attack in May, which disrupted production, but did not disclose details about the perpetrators and ransom payment. In April last year, Quanta Computer, an electronic hardware maker and also a supplier of Apple, confirmed an attack that involved Apple assets, in which the hackers sought to extort US$100 million (NT$3.15 billion) from the firm.