India's Tata Electronics, an electronics and semiconductor company that is a key supplier to Apple and Tesla, has officially acknowledged a data leak. The admission came weeks after 630GB of internal materials was posted on a hacker forum, raising concerns about security in the global technology supply chain.

TechCrunch reported on June 22 that Tata Electronics said it had confirmed a cybersecurity incident in some systems and was carrying out response procedures.

The case became known after data believed to have been stolen from Tata Electronics was made public on a hacker forum. The author of the post claimed to have obtained 630GB of materials and more than 204,300 files.

Some sample files reviewed by security researchers were said to include specifications related to Apple's supply chain and documents that appear to be Tesla manufacturing materials. The authenticity of the materials, their actual source and the full scope of the leak have not been independently verified.

Tata Electronics said in a statement, "A few days ago, we detected a cybersecurity incident in some systems and immediately activated response procedures." The company said the incident did not affect production or business operations and that it remains operating normally.

The company did not answer what type of data was compromised, how many people or organisations were affected, or whether customers were notified. It also did not confirm whether information belonging to customers such as Apple and Tesla was exposed.

Cybersecurity researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia said materials posted on the hacker forum included Outlook email conversations, SAP-related data, and files believed to be customer documents including those of Apple and Tesla. If the leaked data is confirmed to be authentic, it raises the possibility that sensitive materials related to the global manufacturing supply chain, not just internal information, may have been exposed.

The incident is also drawing attention because it occurred as Tata Electronics is rapidly expanding its influence in the global technology supply chain. Founded in 2020, Tata Electronics is one of the companies representing the Indian government's policy to foster semiconductor and electronics manufacturing. It is known to have more than 75,000 employees.

It plays a key role in Apple's strategy to reduce dependence on production in China. Tata Group entered iPhone production in 2023 by acquiring the India operations of Apple supplier Wistron, and later secured a 60 percent stake in Pegatron's India unit.

Cooperation with Tesla is also expanding. Tata Electronics signed a semiconductor supply contract with Tesla in 2024, expanding its position in the electric vehicle supply chain.

Some in the market say the incident could serve as an opportunity to review the level of security management across the broader global electronics supply chain that is being reshaped around India, rather than being only an isolated corporate security problem.

Reuters reported that Tata Electronics recently notified some employees in its iPhone assembly unit of the data leak, and that Apple is also investigating the matter. It also said the company was known to have received ransom demands from hackers, but details were not disclosed. Apple and Tesla have not issued official statements on the matter so far.