Apple Calls Hacker Group’s Bluff, Claiming iCloud, ID System And Millions Of iPhones Have Not Been Breached
Apple is not going to play ball with a group of hackers that is threatening to remotely wipe hundreds of millions of iPhone devices if the Cupertino outfit refuses to pay a ransom. While the hackers claim to have a large cache of iCloud and other Apple email account data at their disposal, Apple insists that its systems and servers remain secure and have not been infiltrated.
"There have not been any breaches in any of Apple's systems including iCloud and Apple ID," an Apple spokesperson told multiple media outlets. "The alleged list of email addresses and passwords appears to have been obtained from previously compromised third-party services."
Apple added that it's "actively monitoring" its systems to prevent hackers from gaining unauthorized access to user accounts. The company is also working with law enforcement to identify the group that is demanding a ransom. That said, Apple suggests that users practice some common sense security precautions to prevent being hacked.
"To protect against these types of attacks, we always recommend that users always use strong passwords, not those same passwords across sites and turn on two-factor authentication," the spokesperson added.
The group demanding a ransom has identified itself as "Turkish Crime Family." It's trying to extort payment from Apple in the form of $75,000 worth of Bitcoin or Ethereum, both of which are crypto-currencies, or $100,000 worth of iTunes gift cards.
A person who is apparently familiar with the contents of the data being held for ransom said that many of the email accounts and passwords matched those that were leaked in a previous security breach at LinkedIn, the popular social networking site for professionals. Around 117 million LinkedIn accounts were compromised in 2012.
"There have not been any breaches in any of Apple's systems including iCloud and Apple ID," an Apple spokesperson told multiple media outlets. "The alleged list of email addresses and passwords appears to have been obtained from previously compromised third-party services."
Apple added that it's "actively monitoring" its systems to prevent hackers from gaining unauthorized access to user accounts. The company is also working with law enforcement to identify the group that is demanding a ransom. That said, Apple suggests that users practice some common sense security precautions to prevent being hacked.
"To protect against these types of attacks, we always recommend that users always use strong passwords, not those same passwords across sites and turn on two-factor authentication," the spokesperson added.
The group demanding a ransom has identified itself as "Turkish Crime Family." It's trying to extort payment from Apple in the form of $75,000 worth of Bitcoin or Ethereum, both of which are crypto-currencies, or $100,000 worth of iTunes gift cards.
A person who is apparently familiar with the contents of the data being held for ransom said that many of the email accounts and passwords matched those that were leaked in a previous security breach at LinkedIn, the popular social networking site for professionals. Around 117 million LinkedIn accounts were compromised in 2012.
