Apple and Amazon Deny Chinese Spy Chips Story

The companies said to have been affected by the spy chip embedded by Chinese spies into Super Micro motherboards are claiming the story was fake. (Image: iphonedigital via Flickr)

When news broke out about Chinese spy chips on motherboards used in American businesses, the world was shocked that such a massive infiltration could happen on U.S. soil. A few weeks down the line and the companies said to have been affected by the Chinese spy chips are claiming the story was fake.

The Chinese spy chips

It was Bloomberg that had reported on the Chinese spy chips, claiming that in 2015, Chinese spies had somehow succeeded in embedding chips into Super Micro motherboards. Big corporations like Apple and data servers run by the Department of Defense were said to be using the motherboards. U.S. authorities were reportedly shocked at the finding and started a detailed investigation into the matter.

Subscribe to our Newsletter!

Receive selected content straight into your inbox.

“During the ensuing top-secret probe, which remains open more than three years later, investigators determined that the chips allowed the attackers to create a stealth doorway into any network that included the altered machines. Multiple people familiar with the matter say investigators found that the chips had been inserted at factories run by manufacturing subcontractors in China,” according to Bloomberg.

Apple had apparently discovered spy chips around May 2015 and alerted the FBI without divulging too many details. But it was Amazon’s discovery of the chips and subsequent handing over of the sabotaged hardware that is said to have given U.S. intelligence agencies the required information to thoroughly investigate the issue. Though the story appears credible, there is a major problem — none of the “affected” companies have supported the story. In fact, many of them have denied the report outright.

fbi
Apple had apparently discovered spy chips around May 2015 and alerted the FBI without divulging too many details. (Image: Mikel Davis via Nspirement)

A fabricated story?

Apple CEO Tim Cook dismissed the article and asked Bloomberg to retract it while the company’s official statement gave a rebuttal for every claim made in the report. “We take these allegations seriously and we want users to know that we do everything possible to safeguard the personal information they entrust to us. We also want them to know that what Bloomberg is reporting about Apple is inaccurate,” according to Apple. Executives from Amazon also backed Tim Cook’s call for retraction of the story.

Super Micro was the most affected by the Chinese spy chips report, with share prices plunging by almost 40 percent in a matter of hours after the story was published. “As we have said firmly, no one has shown us a motherboard containing any unauthorized hardware chip, we are not aware of any such unauthorized chip, and no government agency has alerted us to the existence of any unauthorized chip,” said Super Micro in a letter to customers quoted in The Register.

Super Micro was the most affected by the Chinese spy chips report, with share prices plunging by almost 40 percent in a matter of hours after the story was published.
Super Micro was the most affected by the Chinese spy chips report, with share prices plunging by almost 40 percent in a matter of hours after the story was published. (Image: Screenshot via Youtube)

With three of the biggest affected companies denying the story, many are asking whether Bloomberg made a mistake or if some malicious groups fooled the news agency into reporting a fake story. The timing of the story is also interesting. Though the events are said to have occurred in 2015, Bloomberg only reported the story in 2018, at a time when both the U.S. and China are engaged in a full-blown trade war.

Some say that the intention behind the story may be to deepen the rift between the two countries by planting seeds of distrust and confusion. Unfortunately, Bloomberg has not revealed its sources. As such, no one has been able to verify claims made in the report.

Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest

Recommended Stories

Depressed young woman.

7 Practical Ways to Overcome Suicidal Thoughts

Active thoughts about suicide involve clear and precise thoughts about taking your life. There are ...

Global finances.

3 Ways Technology Is Changing the Financial World

The rapid advances in technology are changing everything about the world we live in, from ...

U.S. passport and flag.

U.S. Will Ban Visas for Chinese Human Rights Violators

The United States is looking to restrict the entry of Chinese officials who have been ...

Chinese students listening to a lecture in a classroom.

Why the U.S. Is Restricting Visas to Chinese Students

The U.S. administration has passed a new policy that restricts visas to Chinese students to ...

Fresh Look at Mysterious Nasca Lines in Peru

A scientific approach has been used to re-identify huge birds etched into the desert plains ...

Three-fingered mummy.

Three-Fingered Mummies Discovered in Peru Are Allegedly Not Human

The discovery of three-fingered mummies in Peru last year came as a sensational find. At ...

Taiwanese protesting 'one China, two systems.'

One Country, Two Systems: ‘No Thanks,’ From Taiwan

The mass protests in Hong Kong have become a major international news event over the ...

Ginger tea.

Medicinal Food: 4 Ingredients With Medicinal Value

Wu Guobin of the Chinese Medicine Clinic in Xinyitang describes the medicinal benefits of 4 ...

Fresh ginger.

How Ginger Can Help You Manage Colds and Flu

For thousands of years, ginger has been an important component in the medical practices of ...

Send this to a friend