NEW DELHI (Diya TV) — Tata Electronics, one of India’s most prominent electronics manufacturers and a key supplier to both Apple and Tesla, confirmed Monday it had detected a cybersecurity incident on its systems after a ransomware group claimed to have posted more than 200,000 stolen files on the dark web, purportedly including proprietary design documents and trade secrets belonging to both companies.
The ransomware group, known as World Leaks, posted more than 200,000 files on the dark web, totaling over 630 gigabytes, according to security researchers. A second security researcher who reviewed the data told Reuters it had been accessible on the dark web since at least June 10.
“A few weeks ago, Tata Electronics identified a cybersecurity incident on some of our systems. Our response protocols were deployed immediately, and the incident has had no impact on our operations across businesses, which remain unaffected,” the company said in a statement.
Among the leaked files was a 52-page document bearing Apple’s proprietary markings, purportedly detailing quality inspection standards for iPhone circuit board components. There were also 33 files and folders tied to the search term “Hosur” — the location of Tata’s main iPhone assembly plant in Tamil Nadu state. Tata currently assembles roughly one-third of Apple’s iPhones manufactured in India, with Foxconn handling the remainder.
Files connected to Tesla included documents labeled “TRADE SECRET” as well as materials reportedly related to the internal code name “Highland” — an updated version of the Tesla Model 3. Researchers also identified content related to controllers and production processes.
A source familiar with the matter said Apple was investigating the breach and that “a full analysis was going on,” adding that Tata had received a ransom demand related to the incident. Apple did not respond to requests for comment, and Tata Electronics declined to comment on the ransom demand specifically.
Indian cybersecurity researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia, who reviewed the Tata files on World Leaks for Reuters, said they also contain emails, event logs spanning several years, and passport copies of employees including foreign nationals.
World Leaks emerged in early 2025 as a rebrand of the Hunters International ransomware operation, frequently shifting focus away from file encryption to data exfiltration — threatening to expose stolen information unless a financial settlement is reached. The group has previously claimed responsibility for a breach at Nike.
The incident is the latest setback for Tata’s electronics operations. The company also faces scrutiny over alleged contamination of farmlands near one of its iPhone parts plants, and the Tata Group’s British Jaguar Land Rover subsidiary was hit by a separate cyberattack last year that resulted in a six-week production halt.
Tata Electronics has become one of Apple’s most important manufacturing partners outside China — an expansion that is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s push to make India an electronics manufacturing powerhouse. The breach underscores the growing vulnerability of global supply chains to sophisticated ransomware attacks. India’s Computer Emergency Response Team, a unit under the country’s IT ministry that oversees cyber incidents, did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
