India is probing a data breach at Tata Electronics that exposed documents related to Apple’s unreleased iPhone 18 Pro. The IT secretary confirmed this in government’s first public comments on the incident.
Sensitive lists of components and suppliers, along with photos of the iPhone 18 Pro models, were posted on the dark web by a ransomware group after stealing data from Tata Electronics, Apple’s Indian supplier, according to Reuters.
“We are investigating,” said S. Krishnan, secretary at the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, in comments to reporters.
Krishnan stated that the incident had been reported to India’s Computer Emergency Response Team, which is primarily responsible for addressing computer security issues.
The breach jeopardizes the highly sensitive business of building the iPhone, as Apple assembles its products using a network of global suppliers. Apple is expected to release its iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September. The leak includes at least six files that reveal which companies are producing specific components for the iPhone 18 Pro models, information not disclosed publicly by Apple.
Tata has engaged a global consultant to conduct a forensic audit following the leak, where documents from Tesla, Qualcomm, and TSMC were also posted on the dark web.