Supermicro Statement on Bloomberg's Claims

Supermicro reaffirms security of Supermicro products, refutes Bloomberg article

SAN JOSE, Calif., Feb. 12, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- Super Micro Computer, Inc. (SMCI), a global leader in enterprise computing, storage, networking solutions and green computing technology, strongly refutes the accuracy of information in a recent Bloomberg article.

Bloomberg's story is a mishmash of disparate and inaccurate allegations that date back many years. It draws farfetched conclusions that once again don't withstand scrutiny. In fact, the National Security Agency told Bloomberg again last month that it stands by its 2018 comments and the agency said of Bloomberg's new claims that it "cannot confirm that this incident—or the subsequent response actions described—ever occurred." Despite Bloomberg's allegations about supposed cyber or national security investigations that date back more than 10 years, Supermicro has never been contacted by the U.S. government, or by any of our partners or customers, about these alleged investigations.

Bloomberg has produced no conclusions from these alleged investigations. Nor could Bloomberg confirm to us if any alleged investigation was even ongoing. To the contrary, several of the U.S. government agencies Bloomberg claims had initiated investigations continue to use our products and have done so for years.

Because we recognize that security threats are constantly evolving, we are vigilant and address issues as soon as we become aware of them. For example, many years ago, an Intel employee raised a question that we were not able to verify, but out of an abundance of caution, we promptly took steps to address.  We have always valued our close partnership with Intel, which has always been strong. Furthermore, the update site referenced in the Bloomberg article have been long retired in favor of newer, secure (HTTPS) technology. Finally, the cyber incidents we disclosed in 2019 were investigated, remediated, and determined not to affect our business, our products, or our operations.

Unfortunately, Bloomberg continues to attempt to revive its false and widely discredited 2018 story. In response to those allegations, we have never found any malicious chips, even after engaging a third-party security firm to conduct an independent investigation on our products.  

In addition, we have never been informed by any customer or government agency that such chips have ever been found. In 2018, several public and private sector officials rebutted the story on the record. Then-Secretary of the Department of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said we "do not have any evidence that supports the article," then-Director of National Intelligence Dan Coats stated "we've seen no evidence" of manipulation of Supermicro products, Federal Bureau of Investigation Director Christopher Wray warned officials to "be careful what you read" about the 2018 Bloomberg claims, and Apple CEO Tim Cook said "it is 100 percent a lie, there is no truth to it" and urged Bloomberg to "do the right thing" and "retract their story." The NSA said at the time it was "befuddled" by Bloomberg's report and was unable to corroborate it.

Supermicro is an American success story, founded and headquartered in San Jose, Calif., in 1993. The quality, security, and integrity of our products is our top priority, and we constantly implement new and improved security features and processes in our business, we investigate security issues that are brought to our attention and we work to remediate any issues.

About Super Micro Computer, Inc.

Supermicro (Nasdaq: SMCI), the leading innovator in high-performance, high-efficiency server and storage technology is a premier provider of advanced server Building Block Solutions® for Enterprise Data Center, Cloud Computing, Artificial Intelligence, and Edge Computing Systems worldwide. Supermicro is committed to protecting the environment through its "We Keep IT Green®" initiative and provides customers with the most energy-efficient, environmentally-friendly solutions available on the market.

Supermicro, Server Building Block Solutions, and We Keep IT Green are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Super Micro Computer, Inc.

All other brands, names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners. Supermicro, Building Block Solutions and We Keep IT Green are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Super Micro Computer, Inc.

All other brands, names and trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

Media Contact:
Greg Kaufman
Super Micro Computer, Inc.
[email protected]