Trade secrets may have been stolen from Samsung Electronics

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Trade secrets may have been stolen from Samsung Electronics

Published: 23 Mar. 2022, 17:56 Updated: 23 Mar. 2022, 18:40

Samsung Electronics' office in Seocho-dong, southern Seoul [YONHAP]

An employee of Samsung Electronics may have photographed confidential information related to the company's chipmaking processes.

Samsung Electronics confirmed on Wednesday that an investigation is underway regarding the case, but did not provide details.

"The person is under investigation for violating information protection rules," a company spokesperson said. "But it is not yet known the type of information compromised and whether the person handed it to a third party."

The employee, who is scheduled to quit Samsung Electronics, is accused of taking photos of a computer screen with confidential information on chip fabrication while working from home.

Since the database system accessed blocks screen capture, the employee used a smartphone to record the information.

The employee photographed hundreds of trade secrets, according to multiple media reports, which speculate that the information could have been taken with the intent of bringing it to a competitor.

The chip fabrication information could cover advanced semiconductor manufacturing techniques, such as those related to 5-nanometer or 3-nanometer chips.

BY PARK EUN-JEE [[email protected]]