Tata Electronics, an Indian electronics and semiconductor manufacturer and a core supplier to several tech giants, including Apple and Tesla, has confirmed a data breach weeks after a batch of documents allegedly originating from the company appeared on hacker forums.
The post on the hacker forum claimed to possess over 630GB of data allegedly stolen from Tata Electronics, containing over 204,300 files. TechCrunch, after examining sample files, found that some appeared to include technical specifications documents from Apple suppliers and Tesla manufacturing data. Currently, no independent third-party channel has been able to verify the authenticity, source, or completeness of this data.
According to reports, Tata Electronics, founded in 2020, is a core company in India’s vigorous development of the electronics manufacturing and semiconductor industries. According to its parent company’s official website, the company has production bases in multiple locations across India, employing over 75,000 people. Currently, global manufacturers are diversifying their supply chains, reducing their reliance on the Chinese market, and using India as an alternative production center. Tata has seized this opportunity to partner with international companies such as Apple, ASML, Intel, Qualcomm, and Tesla.
Cybersecurity researcher Rajeshkar Rajaharia revealed that the data being sold on the forum included Outlook email records, SAP system-related materials, and documents from suspected Tata Electronics partners (including Apple and Tesla).
A Tata Electronics spokesperson issued a statement to TechCrunch confirming the security incident: the company detected cybersecurity vulnerabilities in some systems “several weeks ago” and immediately initiated emergency response procedures. The spokesperson added that the incident “has not had any impact on the company’s operations across its business lines, and all operations are running normally.”
However, the company declined to comment on questions regarding the type of data leaked, the number of individuals and organizations affected, whether partner clients had been notified, and whether client information, such as Apple and Tesla, had been leaked.
Reuters reports that Tata Electronics notified some employees in its iPhone assembly business last week about the data breach. The report also mentions that Apple is investigating the incident and that hackers have demanded a ransom from Tata Electronics.
This data breach occurred as the Tata Group’s position in the global technology supply chain continued to rise. In 2023, Tata acquired Wistron’s Indian factory, a long-term Apple contract manufacturer, officially entering the iPhone assembly business; subsequently, Tata Electronics acquired a 60% stake in Pegatron’s Indian subsidiary, another core Apple contract manufacturer.
In 2024, Tata also signed a semiconductor supply agreement with Tesla, further demonstrating its continued expansion of cooperation with leading global technology companies.
