Munsif Vengattil, Aditya Kalra, and Stephen Nellis, reporting for Reuters:
Sensitive lists of components and suppliers, and photos of
Apple’s upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models are part of files
posted on the dark web by the ransomware group that stole data
from the U.S. firm’s Indian supplier Tata Electronics, according
to documents and a source.The exposure threatens the carefully negotiated business of
building the iPhone, which Apple assembles from a thicket of
suppliers worldwide. It could also upset Apple and its
relationship with Tata given most of the supplier
arrangements are fiercely protected by Apple, and could also
hand rivals, counterfeiters and its own vendors a view of
who makes what. […]Apple considers this detail sensitive and is concerned about
the documents being shared on the dark web as they relate to
unreleased models, according to the person familiar with the
matter. The data maps suppliers to iPhone parts, which Apple
does not disclose in its public database of suppliers, the
person added.In all, the documents detail hundreds of parts to be on the
upcoming iPhone 18 Pro models. The records also show where Apple
draws a part from several suppliers and where it relies on just a
few, laying bare both its bargaining leverage and its
vulnerabilities.
I’m going to say that describing Apple as “concerned” about this data breach might be the biggest euphemism I’ve heard this year. I’m sure they’re furious. Someone at Apple is responsible for putting this trust in Tata, and executives at Tata are surely panicked that they’ve lost future business with Apple.
