Tata Applied sciences hit by Hunters Worldwide ransomware assault. The group threatened to leak 1.4TB of knowledge. Be taught in regards to the extortion, potential knowledge leak, and the connection to Hive ransomware.
Tata Applied sciences, a subsidiary of Indian multinational conglomerate Tata Motors, has reportedly been focused by the ransomware group Hunters Worldwide. The attackers declare to have exfiltrated a large 1.4 terabytes of knowledge, encompassing over 730,000 information, from the engineering agency.
This incident follows a compulsory disclosure made by Tata Motors to the Indian inventory alternate in January 2025, the place they reported a “ransomware incident” that had briefly disrupted a few of their IT companies.
“The Firm has develop into conscious of a ransomware incident that has affected just a few of our IT belongings. As a precautionary measure, among the IT companies had been suspended briefly and have now been restored,” the disclosure learn.
Whereas Tata Applied sciences acknowledged the incident on the time and acknowledged that consumer supply companies remained unaffected, they didn’t disclose the id of the attackers or the extent of the info breach.
Hunters Worldwide has now claimed duty for the assault. They’re threatening to publicly launch the stolen knowledge except a ransom is paid, though the particular quantity demanded has not been disclosed.
In your info, Hunters Worldwide is a infamous ransomware gang identified for pursuing high-value targets. The group has a historical past of focusing on organizations throughout numerous sectors, together with automotive, finance, and healthcare.
There may be hypothesis that Hunters Worldwide could also be a rebranded version of the now-defunct Hive ransomware gang, which was disrupted in a joint operation by the FBI, German, and Dutch legislation enforcement businesses in 2023 resulting in the seizure of their web site The Hive Leak..
This suspicion arises from the remark that each teams make the most of the identical pressure of ransomware. Notably, Hive had beforehand targeted Tata Power in 2022, leaking stolen knowledge after the corporate refused to pay the ransom.
The present scenario with Tata Applied sciences stays unresolved. The corporate has not publicly commented on the ransom demand or confirmed whether or not they’re involved with the attackers.
Nonetheless, the incident reignites considerations in regards to the potential resurgence of the Hive ransomware gang beneath a brand new guise, elevating questions in regards to the effectiveness of legislation enforcement disruptions. It additionally reinstates the persistent risk of ransomware assaults and the vulnerability of even giant multinational firms to stylish cybercriminal teams.
Transferring ahead, this case highlights the essential want for organizations to prioritize superior cybersecurity measures, incident response planning, and proactive risk intelligence to mitigate the impression of such assaults. The result of Tata Applied sciences’ response to this incident will undoubtedly function a case examine for different organizations dealing with comparable threats.
Camellia Chan, CEO and co-founder of X-PHY commented on the newest growth stating, “The economic sector was probably the most attacked sector in 2024. With the information that Hunters Worldwide has allegedly listed 1.4TB of Tata Applied sciences’ knowledge, it’s clear this development reveals no indicators of slowing down.”
“Because of the scale of their operations, industrials are perceived as having excessive ransom potential in contrast with different companies. Take Tata Applied sciences for instance. Their prospects are family automotive and aerospace engineering names like Jaguar, Airbus, Ford, and Honda which screams ‘money’ for cybercriminals,” Camellia added.
“The one – and I imply solely – solution to cease this from taking place is AI-first and multi-layer defence technique that mixes software program and {hardware} options. It will proactively search out threats earlier than unhealthy actors have an opportunity to realize entry,” she defined.
