* Tata Electronics says it identified 'cybersecurity

incident'

* Apple ( AAPL ) is investigating the matter, source says

* One purported Tesla document is on revamped Model 3 part

* Incident latest challenge for Apple ( AAPL ) supply chain in India

* Tata says operations unaffected by incident

By Munsif Vengattil, Aditya Kalra and Aditi Shah

NEW DELHI, June 22 (Reuters) - Tata Electronics said on

Monday it had detected a recent "cybersecurity incident", after

researchers said World Leaks posted purported component design

and specification papers of Apple ( AAPL ) and Tesla, both customers of

the Indian group.

The ransomware group has posted more than 200,000 files on

the dark web, the security researchers told Reuters.

"A few weeks ago, Tata Electronics identified a

cybersecurity incident on some of our systems. Our response

protocols were deployed immediately, and the incident has had no

impact on our operations across businesses, which remain

unaffected," Tata Electronics told Reuters in a statement.

Apple ( AAPL ) was investigating the breach and a "full analysis was

going on", a source familiar with the matter said, adding that

Tata had received a ransom demand related to the incident.

Apple ( AAPL ) did not respond to requests for comment. Tata

Electronics declined to comment on the ransom demand.

The breach is the latest setback for Apple's ( AAPL ) supply chain in

India, where Tata faces scrutiny over alleged contamination of

farmlands near one of its iPhone parts plants, Reuters reported.

Tata is emerging as one of Apple's ( AAPL ) most important

manufacturing partners outside China, an expansion that is a

cornerstone of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's push to make India

an electronics manufacturing powerhouse.

Tata was hit by a cyberattack on its British Jaguar Land Rover

group last year that resulted in a six-week output halt.

The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team, a unit under

India's IT ministry that oversees cyber incidents, did not

immediately respond to Reuters emails seeking comment.

APPLE ( AAPL ) 'FACTORYDATA'

World Leaks, which has previously claimed responsibility for a

Nike break-in, said on its dark net website that it was

publishing stolen data from Tata Electronics.

Reuters could not immediately verify the authenticity of the

data and could not immediately reach World Leaks for comment.

The World Leaks website says the Tata Electronics data

comprises more than 200,000 files totalling over 630 gigabytes.

A database on its website shows several purported Apple ( AAPL ) files

and folders, some titled "com.apple.factorydata", and documents

referring to "material specification".

Indian cybersecurity researcher Rajshekhar Rajaharia, who

reviewed the Tata files on World Leaks for Reuters, said they

also contain emails, event logs spanning several years and

passport copies of employees including foreign nationals.

Rajaharia has previously advised Indian police on cyber

incidents.

The website is only accessible on the dark web, or dark net,

beyond the reach of search engines.

A second security researcher who reviewed the data dump,

Rakesh Krishnan, told Reuters it had been accessible on the dark

web since at least June 10.

TESLA DOCUMENTS, 'TRADE SECRET'

Tata also makes parts for Tesla, industry sources say.

One folder on the World Leaks database was labelled "NV36

Chargeport Controller - North America", a purported reference to

parts used in an upgraded version of Tesla's Model Y SUV.

Another purported Tesla 2023 document described as "TRADE

SECRET" showed certain drawings for its project Highland - a

publicly known internal codename for its revamped Model 3 sedan.

Tesla did not respond to requests for comment.

Rajaharia also shared a screen recording of his review of

the files. It showed a search for "Apple" returned 181 files and

folders, while a search for "Tesla" returned files including

what appeared to be manufacturing specifications and an assembly

document dated May 2025.

Some files published by World Leaks carried footers saying,

"This document contains proprietary and confidential information

of Apple Inc. ( AAPL )" and "information contained herein is deemed

confidential, proprietary, and a trade secret of Tesla Inc. ( TSLA )"

The breach highlights the vulnerability of global businesses

to increasingly sophisticated cyber and ransom attacks.

Among the files was a 52-page document bearing Apple's ( AAPL )

proprietary markings purportedly detailing quality inspection

standards for iPhone circuit board components. There were also

33 files and folders for search term "Hosur" - the location of

Tata's main iPhone assembly plant in Tamil Nadu state.

Tata informed some employees at its iPhone assembly

operations last week of the data breach, said a second industry

source familiar with the matter.

Tata currently accounts for roughly a third of Apple's ( AAPL )

iPhone production in India, with Foxconn making up the rest.