Apple and Tesla had confidential data exposed by a security breach at an Indian company, says agency

Apple launches the iPhone Air, the thinnest in the line Nic Coury/AFP Tata Electronics reported this Monday that it detected a recent "cybersecurity incident," after researchers claimed that World Leaks published alleged design documents and component specifications for Apple and Tesla, both clients of the Indian group. The information is from the Reuters agency. The ransomware group published more than 200,000 files on the dark web, security researchers told Reuters. 🗒️Do you have a story suggestion? Send it to g1 "A few weeks ago, Tata Electronics identified a cybersecurity incident in some of our systems.

Our response protocols were deployed immediately, and the incident had no impact on our operations across all businesses, which remain unchanged," Tata Electronics told Reuters in a statement. Apple was investigating the breach and a "full analysis was underway," said a source familiar with the matter, adding that Tata had received a ransom demand related to the incident. Apple did not respond to requests for comment. Tata Electronics declined to comment on the ransom demand. Tata currently accounts for about a third of Apple's iPhone production in India, with Foxconn accounting for the rest. Now on g1 The breach is the latest setback for Apple's supply chain in India, where Tata faces scrutiny over alleged contamination of farmland near one of its iPhone parts factories, Reuters reported. Tata is emerging as one of Apple's most important manufacturing partners outside of China, an expansion that is a cornerstone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's effort to make India a powerhouse in electronics manufacturing. Tata was hit by a cyberattack on its British Jaguar Land Rover group last year, which resulted in a six-week production shutdown. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, a unit of India's IT ministry that oversees cyber incidents, did not immediately respond to Reuters' emails seeking comment. Apple 'factorydata' World Leaks, which previously claimed responsibility for a hack at Nike, said on its dark net site that it was publishing stolen data from Tata Electronics. Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the data and could not immediately contact World Leaks for comment. The World Leaks site says the Tata Electronics data comprises more than 200,000 files, totaling more than 630 gigabytes. A database on its site shows several alleged Apple files and folders, some titled "com.apple.factorydata," and documents that refer to "material specification." 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 copies of employee passports, including foreign nationals. Rajaharia has previously advised the Indian police on cyber incidents. The site is only accessible on the dark web, or dark net, out of reach of search engines. A second security researcher who reviewed the data leak, Rakesh Krishnan, told Reuters that they had been accessible on the dark web since at least June 10. Tesla's Model Y was the best-selling car in the world last year Getty Images via BBC Tesla documents, 'trade secret' Tata also manufactures parts for Tesla, industry sources say. A folder in the World Leaks database was labeled "NV36 Chargeport Controller - North America," an alleged reference to parts used in an updated version of Tesla's Model Y SUV. Another alleged 2023 Tesla document, described as a "trade secret," showed certain drawings for its Highland project — an internal codename publicly known for its revamped Model 3 sedan. Tesla did not respond to requests for comment. Rajaharia also shared a screen recording of his review of the files.

It showed that a search for "Apple" returned 181 files and folders, while a search for "Tesla" returned files that included what appeared to be manufacturing specifications and an assembly document dated May 2025. Some files published by World Leaks contained footers saying: "This document contains proprietary and confidential information of Apple Inc." and "the information contained herein is considered confidential, proprietary, and a trade secret of Tesla Inc.". The breach highlights the vulnerability of global companies to increasingly sophisticated cyber and ransomware attacks. Among the files was a 52-page document with Apple proprietary marks, allegedly detailing quality inspection standards for iPhone circuit board components. There were also 33 files and folders for the search term "Hosur" — the location of Tata's main iPhone assembly factory in the state of Tamil Nadu. Tata informed some employees of its iPhone assembly operations last week about the data breach, said a second industry source familiar with the matter.