Following reports from iUsers in Australia and New Zealand that their devices were hacked and held for ransom, Apple now claims its iCloud was not compromised.
Several Mac, iPhone, and iPad users in Australia and New Zealand complained recently that their devices had been hacked, denying them access and displaying a ransom message. More specifically, users had been locked out of their devices, and the hacker(s) asked for $50-$100 to return them.
Apple has now issued an official statement in this regards, aiming to calm down concerned users. The company claims that its iCloud was not compromised as many users thought.
"Apple takes security very seriously and iCloud was not compromised during this incident," the company told ZDnet in a statement. "Impacted users should change their Apple ID password as soon as possible and avoid using the same user name and password for multiple services. Any users who need additional help can contact AppleCare or visit their local Apple Retail Store."
Nevertheless, there is a growing thread on the official Apple support forums, with an increasing number of users complaining that their devices were hacked, remotely locked and held for ransom by someone going by the name of "Oleg Pliss."
The ransom message instructed victims to deposit money to an anonymous PayPal account in order to regain access to their devices. In an intriguing twist, it turns out that the PayPal account in question doesn't even exist, which leads to even more questions. Users who had set a passcode or had turned on two-factor authentication were able to avoid this issue, but the hack affected plenty of users nonetheless. Those who had a passcode set for their device were able to regain access, while those with two-factor authentication were reportedly not hacked.
It remains unclear at this point just how Oleg Pliss managed to hack so many iDevices remotely, especially if iCloud was not compromised as Apple claims. It also remains unknown how widespread this issue is and how many users it affected. In light of such threats, all users are advised to boost their iDevices' security by setting up passcodes, turning on two-factor authentication, and use different passwords for different services.
