Tata Electronics, an Indian electronics and semiconductor maker and a key supplier to Apple and Tesla, among other tech giants, has confirmed a data breach weeks after files purportedly taken from the company surfaced on hacker forums.
The confirmation comes as the hacker forum list claims to be offering more than 630GB of data allegedly stolen from Tata Electronics, comprising more than 204,300 files. A review of a sample of files by TechCrunch found what appear to be Apple’s supplier specifications and Tesla’s manufacturing documents. The authenticity, provenance and completeness of the data could not be independently verified.
Founded in 2020, Tata Electronics has emerged as a key player in India’s push to expand electronics manufacturing and semiconductor production. The company operates facilities across India and employs more than 75,000 peopleaccording to its parent company’s website. Tata has forged partnerships with global companies including Apple, ASML, Intel, Qualcomm and Tesla as manufacturers diversify supply chains beyond China and increasingly turn to India as an alternative manufacturing hub.
Cybersecurity researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia told TechCrunch that the data advertised on the forum included Outlook email conversations, SAP-related information and documents purportedly linked to some Tata Electronics customers, including Apple and Tesla.
A Tata Electronics spokesperson confirmed the incident in a statement to TechCrunch, saying the company had identified a cybersecurity incident in some of its systems “a few weeks ago” and had immediately activated its response protocols. The spokesman added that the incident had “no impact on our operations across all businesses, which remain unaffected”.
However, the company declined to answer questions about the nature of the data breach, the number of individuals or organizations affected, whether customers had been notified and whether information belonging to customers such as Apple and Tesla was exposed.
Reuters was mentioned that Tata Electronics notified some employees at its iPhone assembly operations last week about the data breach. The report also said that Apple was investigating the incident and that a ransom had been demanded from Tata Electronics.
The breach comes as the Tata Group assumes a growing role in global technology supply chains. The company entered iPhone manufacturing in 2023 through the acquisition of the Indian operations of Taiwanese contract manufacturer Wistron, a longtime Apple supplier. Tata Electronics later acquired 60% of the Indian unit of Pegatron, another major Apple manufacturing partner.
Tata also signed a semiconductor supply agreement with Tesla in 2024, highlighting its expanding relationships with some of the world’s largest technology companies.
Apple and Tesla did not respond to TechCrunch’s requests for comment.
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