In the semiconductor industry, the smallest design detail can mean the difference between leading the market and falling years behind. Recently, a high-profile breach shook the sector when sensitive process data for an advanced chip node was stolen from within the company. According to The Wall Street Journal and the Financial Times, those involved captured over a thousand images that hold confidential manufacturing processes and shared them with outside parties. The case has been described as one of the first to be prosecuted under newly strengthened national security and trade secret laws, carrying potential penalties of over a decade in prison and multi-million-dollar fines.
Trade secrets are the lifeblood of innovation. Once they leak, you can’t put them back in the vault. But with the right protections in place, organizations can keep control of their data, secure their supply chains, and protect the future of the semiconductor ecosystem.