Freeport-McMoRan disclosed a cybersecurity incident affecting its IT systems

Freeport-McMoRan Inc., the Phoenix-based miner that is one of the world's largest publicly traded copper producers, told investors on 11 August 2023 that it was investigating a cybersecurity incident affecting its information systems. The disclosure was made in a press release filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on a Form 8-K.

The company said it was assessing the impact and taking proactive measures to address the situation, and that it was working closely with third-party experts and law enforcement. It said transitional solutions were being planned and implemented to secure its information systems as quickly as possible. Freeport stated that there had been limited impact on production to date, but cautioned that a prolonged disruption could affect future operations.

An anonymous Freeport employee told the Gila Herald, in a report Mining Technology drew on, that the attack happened on a Thursday night and caused the company's computer systems to shut down. Neither source says how the intruders got in. The same employee said separately that a Microsoft verification app the company had adopted did not seem to work well, a remark about the app rather than about the intrusion. No extortion group claimed the intrusion at the time and Freeport did not say whether any data had been accessed or stolen.

In its filing the company described the investigation as preliminary and ongoing, warning that further facts could change its assessment of the scope and impact. Operations at Freeport's assets, which include the Grasberg district in Indonesia, the Morenci district in Arizona and Cerro Verde in Peru, continued while the review was under way.