US Government Supports Apple and Amazon in Denying Spy Chip Allegations
Apple and Amazon firmly reject Bloomberg Businessweek's accusations of Chinese spy chips embedded in their servers, with US authorities backing their stance.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has publicly expressed confidence in Apple Inc. (AAPL) and Amazon.com Inc. (AMZN), stating they see no reason to question the companies' denials regarding the presence of Chinese spy chips in their servers.
"DHS is closely monitoring reports about potential technology supply chain breaches," the agency declared. "Currently, we find no grounds to doubt the statements issued by the companies mentioned in these reports."
This reassurance from DHS follows a similar assessment by the United Kingdom’s National Cyber Security Centre, which also found no evidence supporting the allegations.
Bloomberg Businessweek recently reported that nearly 30 U.S. firms, including major banks, government contractors, Apple, and Amazon, had servers secretly compromised by miniature spy chips. The report, citing 17 anonymous U.S. intelligence and corporate sources, claimed Chinese military agents under government orders inserted these malicious components into Super Micro Computer Inc. (SMCI) products manufactured in China.
These chips allegedly contained code enabling unauthorized software modifications and external network connections, purportedly granting Beijing covert access to sensitive American networks.
Both Apple and Amazon have strongly denied these claims through official statements on their websites.
Apple’s Vice President of Information Security, George Stathakopoulos, went further by addressing Congress directly, asserting there is no evidence of malware or any malicious activity within Apple’s systems.
Additionally, Bruce Sewell, Apple’s recently retired general counsel, revealed he contacted the FBI’s then-general counsel, James Baker, last year after Bloomberg informed Apple about an ongoing investigation into Super Micro Computer. Sewell recounted, "I personally asked him if he was aware of this investigation. He responded that he had not heard of it but requested 24 hours to verify. After that period, he confirmed that no one at the FBI was familiar with the story."
Following Bloomberg’s report, stock prices for Apple, Amazon, and Super Micro experienced noticeable declines on both Thursday and Friday.
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