On Monday (22nd), Tata Electronics, a major electronic manufacturer in India, announced that it had recently been targeted by a cyber attack, leading to leakage of confidential information belonging to commercial clients Apple and Tesla.
According to Reuters, the cyber extortion group “World Leaks” has released over 200,000 files stolen from Tata Electronics, believed to contain business documents of Apple and Tesla, including component designs and specification files.
In a statement sent to Reuters, Tata Electronics stated: “Some of the company’s computer systems experienced a cybersecurity incident a few weeks ago. We immediately initiated response procedures, and the incident did not have any impact on the operations of various business departments, with all operations continuing to function normally.”
A source familiar with the matter mentioned that Apple is investigating the data breach incident, with a “comprehensive analysis currently underway,” and Tata Electronics has received ransom demands from the hackers.
Tata Electronics is gradually becoming one of Apple’s most important manufacturing partners outside mainland China, which is a cornerstone of Indian Prime Minister Modi’s efforts to establish India as a manufacturing powerhouse in the electronics sector.
This data leak incident is the latest setback for Apple in India. Previously, Tata Group faced scrutiny due to land near an iPhone component factory being allegedly contaminated.
Last year, Tata Group’s UK-based subsidiary Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) was hit by a cyber attack, resulting in a six-week production halt.
Hackers “World Leaks,” who previously targeted Nike, have claimed to release data stolen from Tata Electronics on their dark web platform. Tata Electronics’ data includes over 200,000 files, totaling more than 630 gigabytes.
Indian cybersecurity researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia reviewed the Tata Electronics files released by hacker group “World Leaks” on the dark web.
He mentioned that these files also included emails, event logs spanning several years, and copies of employee passports, including foreign nationals. Previously, Rajaharia had provided advice to Indian authorities on cybersecurity incidents.
Another security researcher, Rakesh Krishnan, who examined the leaked data, informed Reuters that these files had been accessible on the dark web since at least June 10th.
Industry insiders revealed that Tata Group also manufactures parts for Tesla. Within the database released by “World Leaks,” there is a folder labeled “NV36 Charger Port Controller – North America,” believed to be a component used in Tesla’s Model Y SUV.
Another file marked as “Commercial Confidential,” believed to be from Tesla in 2023, displayed some design drawings of their “Highland” project – an internal codename for the well-known Model 3 sedan of the company.
Rajaharia also shared video footage of his review of these files. The footage showed 181 files and folders related to Apple, as well as files related to Tesla, including content suspected to be manufacturing specifications and an assembly document from May 2025.
Some files were marked at the bottom with statements such as “This document includes proprietary and confidential information of Apple Inc” and “This information is deemed the confidential, proprietary information, and business secrets of Tesla Inc.”
This data breach incident highlights the vulnerability of global companies in the face of increasingly sophisticated cyber attacks and extortion.
One 52-page document labeled with “Apple” proprietary markings is believed to detail quality inspection standards for iPhone circuit board components.
Additionally, a search using “Hosur” identified 33 files and folders. Hosur is the location of Tata Group’s primary iPhone assembly plant in the state of Tamil Nadu.
Another industry insider familiar with the matter mentioned that Tata had informed some employees in its iPhone assembly business department about the data breach incident last week.
Currently, the company’s iPhone production accounts for approximately one-third of Apple’s total production in India.