India's Tata Group recently confirmed to Reuters that the company had recently suffered a cyber attack. Hackers claimed to have stolen Apple and Tesla confidential documents from the Tata Group. The Tata Group provides OEM services to many customers. Companies such as Apple and Tesla are customers of the Tata Group. However, the Tata Group has not yet disclosed the details of the leaked data, and Apple and Tesla have not issued a response on the matter.
Hackers stole more than 200,000 files totaling 630GB:
Hackers published Apple and Tesla component design and specification documents from the Tata Group on a website called World Leak (this website can also be used as the hacker's code name). The website stated that the data obtained from the Tata Group totaled more than 630GB. The entire data package had more than 200,000 files, including a database named com.apple.factorydata, and some documents mentioned the material specifications used by Apple.
Also mentioned in the sample are documents bearing Apple's proprietary markings, a 52-page document detailing quality verification standards for iPhone circuit board assemblies, and 33 files or folders related to Hosur, the site of Tata Group's iPhone assembly plant in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu, where some documents or other process secrets were leaked.
It took a long time for the Tata Group to discover that it had been attacked:
It is worth noting that this security incident was not discovered by the Tata Group itself. In fact, hackers have been leaking sample data on the dark web for publicity since at least June 10. Indian security researchers who have reviewed the sample files said that the files also contain massive emails, event logs spanning several years, and passport copies of many employees, including foreign employees.
The Tata Group said in an official statement that a few weeks ago, the company discovered a cybersecurity incident in some systems and immediately launched a response plan. The incident did not have any impact on the business operations of Tata Electronics (a company of the Tata Group), and none of the Tata Group's businesses were affected.
However, Tata Electronics has confirmed that it has received a ransom demand from hackers. Tata Electronics did not disclose the ransom demanded by the hackers. According to convention, if Tata Electronics does not pay the ransom, these customer confidential data will be publicly leaked. This is unacceptable to Apple and Tesla, so it is not known whether Tata Electronics will pay the ransom in exchange for data confidentiality.