- Edited bySudarsanan M
- Published OnNov 13, 2026 | 09:48 IST
- Last Updated OnNov 13, 2026 | 09:48 IST
An external cloud service provider breach has exposed sensitive personal records of thousands of current and former semiconductor employees. Attackers are demanding a multi-million-rupee ransom in cryptocurrency, threatening a public data release.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), one of the world's leading chip manufacturers, has reported a data exposure involving some of its employees. The company confirmed that their sensitive personal information was compromised through a third-party cloud service provider.
The hackers claiming responsibility for the leak are demanding 3 Bitcoin (BTC), worth around $220,000 (nearly â‚ą2.07 crore), for the records, according to Central News Agency (Taiwan). They have also warned that the information could be made public if no buyer comes forward within a week.
What happened in the TSMC data leak?
TSMC confirmed the incident on November 12, stating that the exposure involved an external cloud system. The company said its internal systems had not been compromised and that neither production operations nor customer data had been affected.
“TSMC has found that some of our current and former employee data was made available on an external website without authorisation. Currently, we have found no evidence that TSMC’s systems have been compromised,” read TSMC's November 12 filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
The company said it has contacted the employees affected by the incident and is offering them the necessary support. It is also working with the cloud service provider, investigating authorities and an external cybersecurity firm to establish the facts and take appropriate action.
The incident came to light after hackers claimed to have obtained approximately 46,000 employee records, amounting to around 6.9 GB of data. The information reportedly covers both current and former employees.
The records were listed for sale on online forums, including DarkForums and BreachForums, with an initial asking price of 3 BTC, or approximately $220,000, according to Crypto Briefing. The sellers reportedly gave potential buyers one week to make an offer, warning that they would release the complete dataset publicly if no deal was reached.
What information was exposed in the TSMC data leak?
To support their claims, the hackers released a sample file named "tsmc.txt". The sample reportedly contained 499 records, with 19 fields of information in each entry.
The exposed information reportedly includes employees' names, national identification numbers, home addresses, phone numbers, email addresses, banking details, job titles and emergency contact information.
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