Volkswagen was hacked for years, probably by Chinese cyber spies

German media partners also spoke to a dozen well-informed sources familiar with the hacking report, who pointed to Chinese hackers. The hack dates back to 2015, but was never made public before. The international cleaning operation is said to be the largest in history and cost more than 100 million euros.

The hack came to light on June 3, 2014. The Volkswagen system was apparently infiltrated through a local branch in Puebla, Mexico. Volkswagen immediately set up a task force. He decided to watch the hackers for a while before taking action.

On Friday, April 24, 2015, several cyber experts at Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany, will launch Operation Remediation 65, shutting down almost the entire global IT system of the automotive group for a major cleanup. The VW Group also includes the Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Bentley and Audi brands.

IT experts were able to determine that the hackers had obtained 19,000 files. They were interested in, among other things, ‘gasoline engine development’, ‘transmission development’, ‘double clutch transmission’ as well as electronic mobility and fuel cells.

According to an internal document, Audi Brussels was also part of an international repair operation. Knack contacted spokesperson Peter D’hoore for answers. “Then and now, the cybersecurity of our company’s systems, processes and products is of paramount importance,” says D’Hoore. “We continue to work to keep our IT environment, products and digital ecosystems secure and ready to use.”