India is investigating a major data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed documents linked to Apple’s unreleased iPhone 18 Pro. It marks the government’s first public comment on the incident.
The stolen data surfaced on the dark web weeks earlier. A ransomware group calling itself World Leaks claimed responsibility. It posted more than 200,000 files between June 12 and June 22. The total haul reportedly exceeded 630 GB of data.
S. Krishnan, secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and IT, confirmed the probe. He told reporters simply that the government is investigating. He said the incident was reported to India’s Computer Emergency Response Team. That agency handles the country’s main computer security issues.
The exposed material was highly sensitive, including manufacturing specifications for the iPhone 18 Pro. It also carried photos of the unreleased device models. Supplier lists, internal emails, and employee ID documents leaked too. Some documents reportedly linked to Tesla were also exposed.
Tata Electronics confirmed the breach on June 22. However, it said its actual manufacturing operations stayed unaffected. The company restricted internal access to sensitive information quickly. It also brought in a global consulting firm for a forensic audit. Apple has launched its own parallel investigation into the leak. It expressed concern over the exposure of its confidential information. Apple assembles the iPhone using suppliers worldwide. Tata is a key part of that Indian supply chain.
In the midst of it all, the iPhone 18 Pro is expected to launch in September, giving competitors and counterfeiters a months-long head start. It threatens the carefully guarded business of building the iPhone.
The breach highlights growing supply-chain cyber risks. Attackers increasingly target vendors to reach major companies. For Apple, the exposure of pre-launch secrets is a serious blow.
