© EPA
The global IT system of Volkswagen, Europe’s largest car manufacturer, has been hacked for years. This is evident from internal documents shared by Paper Trail Media, Der Spiegel and ZDF Knock and other media partners of #Hidden Front, an investigative project on Chinese intelligence operations in Europe. Hackers were able to steal 19,000 files from the Volkswagen Group, including information about new technological developments.
German media partners also spoke to a dozen informed sources, familiar with the hacking record, who pointed to the direction of Chinese hackers. The study dates back to 2015, but has never been published before. The global cleaning operation is said to be one of the largest in history and cost more than 100 million euros.
The hack came to light on June 3, 2014. It appeared that Volkswagen’s system was infiltrated through a local branch in Puebla, Mexico. Volkswagen immediately set up a task force. She decided to watch the hackers for a while before taking action.
On Friday, April 24, 2015, twelve cyber experts at Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, will launch Operation Remediation 65, shutting down almost all of the automotive group’s global IT system for a major cleanup. The VW Group also includes the brands Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Bentley and Audi.
Forensic IT experts were able to reconstruct that the hackers had obtained 19,000 files. They were interested in, among other things, ‘petrol engine development’, ‘transmission development’, ‘dual-plate transmission’ and also e-mobility and fuel cells.
According to an internal document, Audi Brussels was also part of the global remediation operation. Knock contacted spokesman Peter D’hoore for a response. “Right now, the cyber security of our company’s systems, processes and products is paramount,” says D’Hoore. “We are constantly working to keep our IT landscape, products and digital ecosystems secure and ready to use.”
2024-04-19 17:38:04
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