NEW DELHI/SAN FRANCISCO, June 29 (Reuters) – Confidential lists of components and suppliers, as well as photos of Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models, are part of files published on the dark web by the ransomware group that stole data from Tata Electronics, the US company’s Indian supplier, according to documents and a source.
The exposure threatens the carefully negotiated deal to manufacture the iPhone, which Apple assembles with components from a vast network of suppliers around the world. It could also hurt Apple and its relationship with Tata, as most of its supplier contracts are fiercely protected by Apple, and it could even give competitors, counterfeiters, and its own suppliers insight into who makes what.
Tata, which supplies parts and assembles iPhones as a contract manufacturer, is cementing itself as one of Apple’s most important manufacturing partners outside China, an expansion that is a key pillar of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s drive to transform India into an electronics manufacturing powerhouse.
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Apple would be on track to launch the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max in September.
The leak comes at a delicate time for Apple, which last week raised the prices of the iPad and MacBook due to rising costs of memory and storage chips, and analysts expect the company to increase iPhone prices in the coming months.
Reuters had already reported the leak of more than 200,000 files from Tata Electronics on the dark web, made by World Leaks, which contained supposed designs for components of old iPhones and some parts from Tesla – both Tata customers. The files also included documents from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. and Qualcomm, which make components used in iPhones.
New documents reviewed by Reuters show that there are at least six files that map various components of the iPhone 18 Pro models to the specific company that supplies them. This includes details of chips on the main circuit board, as well as parts of the battery and cameras.
Apple considers this detail sensitive and is concerned about the documents being released on the dark web, as they refer to models that have not yet been released, according to a source familiar with the matter. The data maps suppliers of iPhone parts, information that Apple does not disclose in its public supplier database, the source added.
In total, the documents detail hundreds of components that will be present in the next iPhone 18 Pro models.
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The records also show where Apple sources parts from multiple suppliers and where it relies on just a few, exposing both its negotiating power and its vulnerabilities.
Representatives for Apple and Tata did not respond to Reuters’ questions. The World Leaks group has already claimed responsibility for an invasion of Nike. Reuters did not verify the authenticity of the data and was unable to immediately contact World Leaks for comment.
News website AppleInsider reported last week that iPhone 18 Pro documents were part of the Tata leak. Reuters has previously reported that Apple is investigating the matter and working with Tata on long-term measures. Tata has restricted internal access to sensitive systems while it investigates the breach and hired a global consultancy to carry out a forensic audit.
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DROP TEST IMAGES
According to a source familiar with the matter, several of the leaked files contained Apple ‘confidential’ watermarks and internal company codenames, consistent with the iPhone 18 Pro generation.
Inside the folder with the iPhone 18 Pro files, there are photographs of iPhones being subjected to drop tests at one of Tata’s factories, dating from the beginning of 2026. The photos show a conventional, gray, rectangular-shaped device, with a set of three rear cameras and the Apple logo.
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Reuters was unable to definitively identify the phone’s model number, but the source said the photos are of iPhone 18 Pro models.
For Apple and Tata, the breach of trust affects the basis of the partnership. Apple’s entry into India depends on Tata, its newest flagship automaker, just as the company is increasingly diversifying its operations beyond China.
The bet quickly paid off: India is on track to produce 26% of the world’s iPhones by 2026, up from 6% four years ago, according to Counterpoint, a research firm.
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(Reporting by Munsif Vengattil, Aditya Kalra and Stephen Nellis)
