Cyberattacks on two major Indian manufacturing facilities in late June 2026 have highlighted growing cyber risks facing India's factory floors, according to a report by Vaitheeswaran B in Business-Today. The incidents underscore how cyber threats are shifting from an IT problem to a business risk as manufacturers embrace automation, connected factories, and AI-driven operations.
Back-to-Back Breaches
Bajaj Auto and one of its subsidiaries reported a ransomware attack that affected parts of their IT systems on June 23, 2026, according to Business-Today. A day earlier, Tata Electronics disclosed a cyber breach. Both companies said they activated incident response protocols and took steps to contain the incidents. While Bajaj Auto and Tata Electronics stated that operations remained unaffected, the report notes that Reuters claimed the breach at Tata Electronics' Hosur facility allegedly exposed confidential Apple and Tesla information, including component details and images of unreleased Apple products.
Sector-Wide Threat
According to Kaspersky's latest Industrial Control Systems (ICS) Threat Landscape report for the first quarter of 2026, manufacturing was the only major industry where the share of attacked industrial control systems increased globally. Southeast Asia recorded the highest level of such attacks. Vikash Yadav, head of enterprise for India at Kaspersky, said manufacturing remains one of the most targeted sectors. "Threat actors are increasingly targeting internet-facing operational technology at remote sites," Yadav said. "As factories become more connected, they present a larger attack surface for ransomware groups, advanced persistent threat actors and supply-chain attackers exploiting smaller vendors."
Operational Technology Security Challenges
Debashish Roy, chief digital and technology officer at CEAT, noted that many shop floors still rely on legacy equipment never designed with cybersecurity in mind. "Companies need stronger separation between IT and operational technology networks while using AI at the edge so innovation does not come at the cost of security," he said, adding that attacks on production systems can halt manufacturing, compromise worker safety, and disrupt business continuity.
Implications for India's China-Plus-One Strategy
Srinivas L, joint CEO of 63SATS Cybertech, said India's ambitions under the China-plus-one strategy depend as much on protecting intellectual property as on expanding manufacturing capacity. "If India acquires a reputation for IP leaks, it could erode the trust that underpins the China-plus-one opportunity," he said. He added that sector-specific cybersecurity guidelines and stronger incident reporting through CERT-In would improve resilience.
CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) has urged organizations to strengthen vulnerability management, network segmentation, multi-factor authentication, and continuous monitoring, as AI makes cyberattacks more sophisticated.
| Attack Details | Bajaj Auto | Tata Electronics |
|---|---|---|
| Date | June 23, 2026 (ransomware) | June 22, 2026 (breach) |
| Impact | Affected parts of IT systems | Allegedly exposed confidential Apple & Tesla data |
| Response | Incident response activated, operations unaffected | Incident response activated, operations unaffected |
For enterprise technology decision-makers, these incidents reinforce that cybersecurity must be embedded into operational technology from the factory floor upward. As factories become more connected, the attack surface expands, and the cost of failure includes not just production downtime but the loss of intellectual property that underpins global supply chain trust.
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