India probes Tata Electronics data breach linked to iPhone 18 Pro leak

Indian Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology is probing a suspected cyberattack on Tata Electronics following reports that hackers breached its internal network and leaked sensitive iPhone 18 Pro data on the dark web.

 

Last month, a threat actor claimed to have breached Tata Electronics’ internal network and stolen over 630 GB of confidential data, comprising more than 204,300 files, which was later offered for sale.

 

Tata Electronics, an Indian technology company, assembles iPhones in the country after acquiring the India operations of Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron, a long-standing Apple supplier. The company has also acquired a 60% stake in Pegatron India, another key Apple manufacturing partner.

 

A review of a sample of the leaked files indicates they contain what appear to be Apple supplier specifications and Tesla manufacturing documents. The data also includes sensitive lists of components and suppliers, along with images of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, which were posted on the dark web by the threat actor who allegedly breached Tata Electronics’ internal network.

 

The leaked documents further include at least six files detailing how various iPhone 18 Pro components are linked to their respective suppliers. The files contain information on chips used in the main circuit board, as well as battery and camera components.

 

Acknowledging the threat actor’s claims, a company spokesperson confirmed a data incident, stating that the breach was detected on some of its systems “a few weeks ago” and that response protocols were activated immediately, adding that it had “no impact on our operations across businesses, which remain unaffected.”

 

According to a recent Reuters report, S. Krishnan, Secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), said the government is investigating a data security incident at Tata Electronics that exposed documents related to Apple’s unreleased iPhone 18 Pro.

 

Krishnan added that the incident has been reported to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the country’s nodal agency for handling cybersecurity incidents