iPhone chipmaker auto services platform resumes full operations after WannaCry attack

TAIPEI: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co blamed a crippling cyber-virus outbreak on a variant of the 2017 WannaCry ransomware, outlining how it shut several plants just as the company ramps up chipmaking for Apple Inc’s next iPhones.

Chief Executive Officer CC Wei said full operations have resumed and that the malware would reduce revenue this quarter by no more than 2%, down from an earlier estimate of roughly 3%.

The company earlier warned of delayed shipments as a consequence of the infection, which arose during software installation then spread swiftly throughout its network.


The virus hit facilities in Hsinchu, Taichung and Tainan, he added. The incident underscores the global nature of the technology supply chain, in which companies like Apple and Qualcomm Inc depend on hundreds of suppliers around the world. This is the first time a virus had brought down a TSMC facility.