Controversies
Controversies tied to this brand in public sources. A listing is not a finding of fault.
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2023
Reported motherboard firmware vulnerabilities
Eclypsium said that 271 Gigabyte motherboard models contained firmware-related weaknesses involving an updater mechanism capable of downloading and executing additional software. Gigabyte said it intended to release fixes. The report generated concern over firmware security and vendor update controls.
2021
Gigabyte ransomware attack and data breach reported
Issue disclosure
A report said Gigabyte was hit by an AvosLocker ransomware attack and that sensitive information, including customer credit card details, employee payroll information, and partner agreements, was leaked. The article attributes details about the stolen data to Privacysharks and says AvosLocker threatened to leak more data.
Source excerpt
A ransomware attack by a group called AvosLocker reportedly hit Gigabyte. As a result of the attack, sensitive information including customer credit card details, NDA'd agreements with Gigabyte partners, and employee payroll information, among other details, were leaked.
Gigabyte reportedly faced a massive data breach recently, as part of a ransomware attack by the AvosLocker hacker group.
2021
Gigabyte ransomware attack and data-release threat
Issue disclosure
Gigabyte was hit by a ransomware attack that forced it to shut down systems in Taiwan. The group identified in the article as RansomEXX threatened to release 112GB of data reportedly stolen from Gigabyte; the article says data relating to Intel, AMD, and American Megatrends appeared to be held by Gigabyte under NDA and did not imply those companies had themselves been breached.
Company response
Clarification — Gigabyte
Gigabyte has confirmed a security event in Chinese media however has not publicly disclosed the details of the attack.
Source excerpt
Gigabyte has confirmed a security event in Chinese media however has not publicly disclosed the details of the attack.
The ransomware attack occurred late Tuesday and into Wednesday, forcing the company to shut down systems in Taiwan.
The Bleeping Computer asserts it has received information confirming the attack is from Malware group RansomEXX, and that RansomEXX has threatened to publicly release 112GB of stolen data from Gigabyte, Intel, AMD, and American Megatrends if the ransom is not paid.
2021
Gigabyte faces consumer backlash in China over marketing copy
Public backlash
Gigabyte faced a consumer boycott in China after its Chinese-language website described Chinese contract manufacturing as low-cost and low-quality and stated that 90% of its notebooks were made in Taiwan. Gigabyte removed the page and apologized, saying the text was inconsistent with the facts and resulted from poor internal management; JD.com and Suning.com were also removing Gigabyte product listings.
Company response
Apology — Gigabyte
Gigabyte quickly took down the web page and apologized on its China-based website.
Source excerpt
Gigabyte quickly took down the web page and apologized on its China-based website. “A few days ago, part of the text published on our official website was seriously inconsistent with the facts,” Gigabyte said. “It was caused by poor internal management of the company.”
Despite the apology, Bloomberg reports that Gigabyte is now facing a boycott from Chinese consumers. The country’s e-commerce providers, JD.com and Suning.com, have also been removing Gigabyte product listings from their sites.
The controversy started on Gigabyte’s Chinese-language website, which apparently posted a page touting its “Made in Taiwan” products. “Unlike other brands that’ve chosen low-cost, low-quality contract manufacturing in China, Gigabyte is devoted to creating outstanding, high-quality components and laptop computers,” the page said.