The Indian electronics giant Tata Electronics has admitted to suffering a cybersecurity incident that could be of primary importance since the hackers who carried it out claim to have stolen confidential technical documents related to its main Western partners: Apple and Tesla. But let’s go in order.
THE LOOT STOLEN FROM TATA ENDED UP ON THE DARK WEB
The World Leaks group claims to have published over 200,000 files on the dark web, for a loot weighing over 630 gigabytes in total. So far, it has not been possible to verify whether these are original documents nor, in the latter case, whether they were truly top secret and what the actual damage resulting from their publication in broad daylight could be.
Media sources covering the story only say that researchers who reviewed the material confirmed that it includes production specifications related to Apple, including component drawings, quality control documentation, and other files linked to manufacturing processes.
Many files concern the brand of another American multinational, Tesla, including technical drawings marked as industrial secrets for the Model 3 Highland project and references to a charging port controller for the Model Y. However, here too, authenticity and potential economic damage to the Texas-based manufacturer cannot be verified.
WHAT THE INDIAN GIANT SAYS
So far, the Indian giant has claimed to have immediately activated its response protocols and that the incident did not impact operational activities. However, it has said nothing regarding the stolen data nor whether a ransom demand has been received from the hackers, since the modus operandi usually involves releasing small portions of the loot to prove it is indeed in their hands, followed by an extortion attempt.
A NEW HEADACHE FOR APPLE
The incident could prove to be yet another headache coming from Asia for the American Apple, which, with Donald Trump insisting on hitting China commercially, had to accelerate the move from the Dragon Country to the Indian subcontinent to protect its supply chain given the impossibility of relocating it to the USA as repeatedly hoped by the White House.
Beijing has obstructed Cupertino’s “escape” from China in every possible way, and for this reason some observers speculate that what happened may somehow be connected to the incident, although it is not the main avenue pursued by investigators. On the other hand, the leak, involving two American companies, will likely provide new fuel to feed the protectionist demands of the US president.
