Tuesday, July 5, 2011

Hackers Hit Apple

Hackers this weekend targeted Apple, claiming yet another victim in their tour of duty against major worldwide corporations and governments.

AntiSec, a fusion of hacktivists Anonymous and the now-defunct LulzSec, tweeted Sunday that it broke into an Apple server, collecting 26 administrative user names and passwords. The anonymous hackers claim they accessed the Cupertino, Calif.-based company's systems through a security flaw in third-party software.

"Apple could be target, too," the group tweeted. "But don't worry, we are busy elsewhere."

AntiSec formed when LulzSec and Anonymous hackers pledged to unite against major financial institutions and governments worldwide. The resulting group has been active ever since, striking out at various online bastions with distributed denial-of-service attacks.

Apple declined to comment about the breach, but it can't be happy about falling victim to hackers just like so many other companies and governments in the last several months.

Apple got off easy, it seems, compared to Citigroup with its embarrassing $2.7 million breach. The bank is scrambling to restore customer confidence in the wake of this attack, while entertainment giant Sony finally restored its systems after an 11-week spell without service.

Sony in April suffered the biggest recorded data breach, with 100 million user accounts and tens of thousands of credit card numbers stolen. The International Monetary Fund and Epsilon didn't fare much better and are also struggling to discover who broke into their systems over the last months.

Along political lines, hacktivist group Anonymous stands out with its history of online activism against what it says are restrictions on free speech. The group first became famous when it shut down Visa, MasterCard and Amazon for refusing to process WikiLeaks payments. Anons then targeted Egyptian, Tunisian and Libyan regimes, among others, during the Arab Spring, going on to hit Turkish government sites after the country announced it would restrict Internet freedoms starting in August.

Google, too, suffered a political breach when Chinese hackers conducted a spear-phishing expedition against high-profile journalists, diplomats and activists.

If Anonymous is the poster child for politically motivated hacks, its former sister LulzSec represents the "for the lulz" side of hacking. The group's colorful narratives and snarky illustrations characterized their hacking spree until the group disbanded last week. LulzSec pranks include downing FBI, CIA and U.S. Senate websites "for fun" besides posting a fake story to the PBS site that deceased rapper Tupac Shakur is alive and well in New Zealand.

With all of these major hacks making headlines, Apple's incident seems small by comparison. But in the online jungle, no one is safe, and the company may see further attacks unless it bolsters its security systems.
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The almighty Apple can be hacked just like everyone else.

12 comments:

  1. I haven't really read into it yet but is this tied to the virus that is targeting Apple Wifi and 3G?

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  2. I think the Apple wifi and 3G problem is probably a glitch. Aren't the ipads and iphones prone to problems with wifi? I think it has something to do with protected wifi routers. Either way, Apple sucks.

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  3. Haters like Brett keep wishing that every report of an Apple glitch indicated a widespread problem that is destined to bring the company down. Or that at least they will suffer the death by 1000 cuts.

    Fan the flames all you want, hate-boy. It ain't gonna happen. Apple will fix any problems and keep rolling along with regular incremental improvements and occasional revolutionary device introductions. People will continue to discover that Apple products are really pretty great.

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  4. Actually this site is for to hate Apple or to love?
    Looking forward for your reply.

    Veronica
    Cradlepoint routers

    ReplyDelete
  5. It's definitely a site for people that hate Apple. Their products get a better rap than they deserve when they are just as vulnerable to problems (if not more) than anything else out there. When people say things like "Should I buy a Mac? They don't get viruses right?" I tell them to come here because I try to point out some of the problems Macs have to help inform them and try to save them money.

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  6. The argument that Macs are too expensive is "Penny wise and pound foolish". Millions of people have discovered that Macs have a lower TCO. On average, Macs require less training and ongoing maintenance, give more years of service, and have higher resale value that Wintel PCs. In general they are less aggravating, and, gosh darn it, just more pleasant to use.

    Consistent positive word of mouth is leading to increased Mac market share, one switcher at a time. Most can't believe they put up with Windows for so long, and kick themselves for not seriously considering the Mac sooner.

    I'm not claiming that a Mac will meet everyone's needs; no computer is perfect, or suited for every use, but the hater's pathetic attempts to vilify Apple and its products just don't jibe with Apple's high user satisfaction statistics.

    I think haters are afraid of anything that seriously threatens the status quo. Specifically, there a a certain kind of hater with years of experience invested in Windows technology that is especially upset that others don't particularly need or value their expertise.

    Tuff Noogies.

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  7. I have Windows machines that go back up to 12 years that are still running. They are obviously slower than my newer hardware but they still work. Plus, I wouldn't call a computer more pleasant to use when I can't do anything I want. I don't think haters need to vilify Apple, they do it just fine by themselves. The Apple owners I know even say that, yeah, Apple is pretty evil and the are somewhat regretful of spending more on the Apple product especially since they, in most cases, can't upgrade the machine without voiding the warranty. Believe me, I am in no way shape or form afraid of Apple. There have been enough requests from Apple users for my help. My advice is always, switch to Windows.

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  8. I have a 15 year old Gateway PC. I upgraded the ram all I could on it and installed Linux on it. I must say the damn thing chugs along great and I think I might make it a small home server. I laughed the other day when my uncle told me his 4 year old Mac won't turn on anymore. It's out of warranty and will cost him $800 to repair. LOL He could buy 1 or 2 nice W7 laptops for that much and get 10 years out of them.

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  9. No. YOU might be able to squeeze 10 years out of a Windows PC, but average person can't and doesn't. If people insist on using Windows, they deserve what they get. If you are the kind of person that is capable of repairing and upgrading your own computer, a Mac might not be the best choice. But realize that tinkerers like you are a minority.

    Despite hater's anecdotes of personal acquaintances who are dissatisfied with Apple, general sentiment is clearly moving in the other direction, as attested by Apple's ongoing phenomenal success and steadily increasing market share.

    Everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but not their of own facts.

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  10. OP is a massive faggot

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  11. Who the hell is OP?

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  12. I think this blog against to apple.is it right.
    Thanks for sharing.

    Elizabeth
    Cradlepoint routers

    ReplyDelete