The virtual world continues to take over our day-to-day lives, courtesy the gizmo onslaught, bringing in its folds several unwarranted menaces, vulnerabilities, and fears. Being tech savvy becomes a cardinal sin as the gadget dependence exposes one to lurking dangers in the cyber world - hackers - as technology site Gizmodo's reporter Mat Honan discovered to his horror. Honan's iGadgets were remotely wiped by hackers who got in via Apple's tech support.
Gizmodo employee Mat Honan's iCloud account was hacked and there began the tech reporter's worst nightmare. The hacker proceeded to remotely wipe his iPhone, iPad, and MacBook Air; gained access to Honan's Gmail and Twitter accounts, followed by the final nail in the coffin - hacking into Gizmodo's Twitter account.
Gizmodo's Twitter account was taken over briefly on Friday (Aug. 3) evening from approximately 5:15 to 5:30 PT thanks to Honan's e-mail and Twitter accounts being compromised. A hacking group named "Clan Vv3" appear to be the brains behind the attack. The assailants didn't stop at hacking and rendering Honan helpless, but also used Gizmodo's Twitter account to post racist and offensive messages.
Mat Honan was apparently playing with his daughter when his phone went kaput. He presumed it was a software glitch and rebooted. Honan then went to log into his iCloud but discovered that his password was not working. An "irritated, but not alarmed" Honan then connected his iPhone to his MacBook Air to restore the device from backup. Little did he know what awaited, Honan opened his laptop and was greeted by an iCal message telling him his Gmail account information was wrong. He was asked for a four-digit pin, which he didn't have.
A hapless Honan knew something was wrong but was clueless about the extent of the damage. Honan found that his iPad had been reset as well. With no iPhone, iPad, or MacBook Air access, Honan logged in from his wife's computer to discover that his Gmail password had been changed and someone was tweeting from his and Gizomodo's Twitter accounts (as both had been linked)!
Honan recounts the chain of events on his blog at Emptyage. Honan was able to retrace the hacker's steps via the password reset e-mails once he had regained access to his iCloud account.
So how did the digital encroachment happen in the first place? According to Honan, Apple confirmed that the hacker got in via its tech support "and some clever social engineering that let them bypass security questions".
It is worrying news that a hacker was able to gain access to Honan's iCloud account with the help of AppleCare support and spells disaster for users. Apple needs to address the issue with unfaltering urgency. Such vulnerabilities in the digital space are a recipe for disaster. A time bomb waiting to explode, sweeping in on user privacy and Apple bugs as it ticks away silently.
Honan may have been able to resolve the issue ASAP and get his life back on track, courtesy his journalistic connections; but would the average Apple user have been able to grapple and resolve the issue just as easily and speedily?
