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India Opens Probe After Dark-Web Leak of Tata Electronics Files Linked to iPhone 18 Pro

Forensic reviews by government and firms seek to verify the leaked cache to limit damage to Apple’s supplier network before a projected September launch.

Overview

  • India’s Ministry of Electronics said it began investigating on Thursday and has reported the incident to the national cyber agency CERT-In.
  • Security researchers and Reuters reporting say a ransomware group posted more than 200,000 files on the dark web that include component lists, supplier mappings and photos tied to unreleased iPhone 18 Pro models.
  • Independent reviews have identified at least six files that map specific iPhone 18 Pro components to named suppliers but full provenance and the scope of the leak remain under forensic verification.
  • Tata Electronics has restricted access and hired a global forensic consultant while Apple is conducting its own analysis to assess intellectual‑property, operational and legal exposure.
  • Beyond immediate commercial risks, the leak could weaken Apple’s negotiating leverage, reveal single‑source dependencies that affect production timing and help counterfeiters or competitors exploit detailed supplier information; documents from other firms such as Tesla, Qualcomm and TSMC were also reported in the dump.