Tata Electronics Hit by Cyber Breach Linked to Apple, Tesla Files
Tata Electronics said it detected a cybersecurity incident after researchers found more than 200,000 files allegedly linked to the company on the dark web, including documents said to relate to Apple and Tesla.
Image Credit- Chetan Jha/ MIT Sloan Management Review India
Apple supplier and a subsidiary of Tata group Tata Electronics has confirmed a cybersecurity incident after researchers found a large cache of files allegedly stolen from the company on the dark web.
The files were posted by ransomware group World Leaks, according to researchers cited by Reuters. Tata Electronics said it had identified the incident several weeks ago and that its operations were not affected.
“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 told Reuters.
More than 600 gigabytes of data, allegedly taken from Tata Electronics, were reportedly posted on the dark web. Technology news outlet TechCrunch said it found what appeared to be Apple supplier specifications and Tesla manufacturing documents among the files.
World Leaks claims to have published more than 200,000 files totaling over 630 gigabytes, Reuters said, adding that it could not independently verify the authenticity of the data or reach the group for comment.
Researchers said it appeared to include documents linked to Apple and Tesla, both customers of Tata Electronics.
Apple is reportedly investigating the breach and was conducting a full analysis of the exposed data.
Researchers also found documents that appeared to be linked to Tesla.
One folder referred to a charge port controller for North American vehicles, while another contained drawings tied to Project Highland, Tesla’s codename for the redesigned Model 3 sedan. Some files were marked as confidential trade secrets, according to Reuters.
The breach points to a growing risk in global manufacturing supply chains, where design files, production records and supplier data often move across companies and borders.
Tata Electronics has become one of Apple’s key manufacturing partners outside China and accounts for about a third of Apple’s iPhone production in India, with Foxconn producing the rest.
The incident adds to recent cybersecurity pressure on the Tata group. Jaguar Land Rover, the group’s British automotive business, was hit by a cyberattack last year that halted output for six weeks.
