Volkswagen hacked for five years, ‘China is crossing a deep, deep, red line’

Internationally•22 Apr ’24 12:20The author: Mark van Harreveld

Volkswagen was hacked and spied on from China for five years. Between 2010 and 2015, hackers stole thousands of company documents, Der Spiegel and ZDF reported this weekend. ‘It covers 19,000 documents about the development of petrol engines, gearboxes, electric vehicles and more. The hackers were able to do their work undisturbed for years and Volkswagen knew nothing,” says Noud Broekhof of the National Motor Show.

Volkswagen hacked from China for five years, ‘China is crossing a deep, deep, red line’

According to ZDF and Der Spiegel, attackers broke into Volkswagen’s Mexican plant in 2010 and a year later expanded their access to those systems to include systems at Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany. (ANP / EPA)

According to ZDF and Der Spiegel, attackers broke into Volkswagen’s Mexican factory in 2010 and a year later extended their access to the systems to, among others, those of Volkswagen’s headquarters in Wolfsburg, Germany.

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“If this is true, then China has crossed a deep, deep, deep, red line.”

Noud Broekhof, The National Auto Show

Chinese business hours

The attackers may be from China, the journalists said ZDF and Der Spiegel. For example, the attackers’ IP addresses are said to have been traced to China, and the times the attackers struck appear to correspond to Chinese business hours, a German news source reports. ‘China denies everything. It is not known what happened to the documents and who got them. Are these also car manufacturers? If this is true, then China has crossed a deep red line and I am also afraid that the hatred against the Chinese auto industry will continue to grow for these kinds of things.’

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I’m done in China

Broekhof is referring to an ongoing European investigation into the Chinese government’s support for electric cars, which are offered on European markets at dump prices. Volkswagen is tight-lipped about the hack, and that’s understandable. Broekhof calls it strange that Volkswagen announced a huge investment of 2.5 billion euros in China a few weeks ago. “They’ve been there for forty years, China is the biggest car market right now. If you’re not there, you’re in big trouble. You have to work with them, so they maintain a certain level of diplomacy.’

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