India has launched an investigation into a major cyberattack on Tata Electronics after confidential documents related to Apple’s unreleased iPhone 18 Pro were stolen and leaked online. The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) has confirmed that the case is being investigated, while the incident has also been reported to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the country’s national cybersecurity agency.
The cyberattack targeted Tata Electronics, which has rapidly become a major part of Apple’s global supply chain as the company shifts more iPhone production from China to India. According to Counterpoint Research, India is expected to manufacture about 26% of all iPhones globally in 2026, up sharply from around 6% four years ago. Tata assembles iPhones and also manufactures several precision components used in the devices after expanding its business through new factories and acquisitions. Because of this, the company stores a large amount of confidential engineering, manufacturing and supplier data belonging to Apple and several other global technology companies.
According to reports, the attack was carried out by the ransomware group World Leaks, which allegedly stole more than 200,000 confidential files, totaling around 630GB of data, before publishing them on the dark web. Unlike many ransomware attacks that mainly lock computer systems and demand payment, this attack focused on stealing valuable business information. Tata Electronics said it detected a cybersecurity incident but that its manufacturing operations were not affected. The company has since tightened internal security, restricted access to sensitive systems, informed customers and government authorities, and hired an international cybersecurity firm to carry out a detailed forensic investigation into how the attackers entered its network.
A large part of the leaked data relates to Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max, which are expected to launch later this year. The leaked files reportedly include internal engineering documents, prototype photographs, component specifications, manufacturing records and images of prototype devices undergoing drop tests. One of the most sensitive parts of the leak is at least six internal documents that reportedly identify which companies manufacture hundreds of individual iPhone components, including camera modules, batteries, chips and other key hardware.
The leaked data was not limited to Apple. Reports indicate that confidential documents related to Tesla, Qualcomm and TSMC (Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) were also found among the stolen files, suggesting that the attackers accessed a much larger collection of customer information stored within Tata Electronics’ systems rather than targeting only Apple.
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Ashutosh is a Senior Writer at The Tech Portal, largely reporting on new tech, and intersection of technology and business. Ashutosh’s career spans across nearly a decade of technology writing across multiple platforms and languages.
