In a setback for Apple and its key supplier Tata Electronics, sensitive lists of components and suppliers, along with photos of upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, have featured in the files posted on the dark web by the ransomware group that reportedly stole data from the two companies.
The exposure has now put a massive threat on the iPhone’s global supply chain and manufacturing ecosystem, as rivals, counterfeiters, and the tech giant’s own vendors may end up accessing the dark web data and getting a glimpse of who makes what.
The setback will likely be even bigger for Tata, which both supplies parts and assembles iPhones in India as a contract manufacturer. The company has emerged as one of Apple’s most important manufacturing partners outside China, an expansion that has been often cited by the Narendra Modi-led administration in its push to make the South Asian giant an electronics manufacturing powerhouse.
Apple is reportedly on track to release its iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September 2026. The data leak will put further pressure on the tech giant, which has already raised iPad and MacBook prices due to soaring memory and storage chip costs, a development that would directly weigh on its balance sheet and sales figures in the coming quarters.
As per Reuters, the Tata Electronics leak consisted of more than 200,000 files on the dark web by World Leaks, including the ones with “component design papers” of older iPhones and some parts of Tesla, both of which are Tata clients. They also broke into the documents of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) and Qualcomm, both of which make iPhone parts. The stolen files include at least six files that map many components in the iPhone 18 Pro models to the specific companies that supply them. These include details of chips on its main circuit board and parts of the battery and cameras.
The stolen records also show where Apple draws a part from several suppliers and where it relies on just a few, laying bare both the tech giant’s bargaining leverage and its vulnerabilities within its global supply chain.
Apple is reportedly investigating the matter and working with Tata on long-term countermeasures. Tata, for its part, has hired a global consultant to conduct a forensic audit of both its IT systems and the leaked data. It has also tightened internal security protocols at all its facilities and offices to restrict remote access to sensitive internal tools only to “select employees.”
Tata Electronics, headed by former Intel and Applied Materials executive Randhir Thakur, is part of the legendary salt-to-aviation Tata conglomerate. Set up in 2020, Tata Electronics’ businesses cover semiconductors as well. However, this is not the first time a Tata conglomerate vertical has fallen prey to cyberattack. In 2025, Tata Motors was hit by a similar incident at its British Jaguar Land Rover unit, resulting in a six-week production halt.
Several of the leaked files also carried Apple “confidential” watermarks and internal Apple codenames consistent with the iPhone 18 Pro generation. The files also have images of iPhones undergoing drop tests at one of Tata’s plants, dated early 2026.
Talking about Apple-Tata Electronics, the Indian company became the flagbearer of the iPhone maker’s “China Plus One” approach. As of 2026, India is on track to make 26% of the world’s iPhones, up from the 2023 tally of 6%, according to the research firm Counterpoint.