CybersecurityApple latest victim of Anonymous cyberattacks

Published 6 July 2011

Apple appears to be the latest victim of the mysterious group of international hackers known as Anonymous; the data breach appears to be relatively minor as the hackers only infiltrated a survey used to process technical support follow-up surveys and obtained twenty-seven internal Apple user names and passwords

Apple appears to be the latest victim of the mysterious group of international hackers known as Anonymous.

The data breach appears to be relatively minor as the hackers only infiltrated a survey used to process technical support follow-up surveys and obtained twenty-seven internal Apple user names and passwords.

No customer data was stolen, but the group posted all the passwords online.

In response to the attacks, Apple took the server offline.

On Twitter, Anonymous stated that the attacks could have been worse, but that they are not interested.

“Apple could be target, too. But don’t worry, we are busy elsewhere,” the group tweeted.

David Murphy of PC Magazine writes that the recent attacks are similar to the hacks that LulzSec, a hacking group which recently disbanded, often employed.

LulzSec used a method called SQL injection to successfully break into numerous networks of major corporations and governments like Sony Pictures, the U.S. Senate, and PBS.

“While circumstantial, evidence for the possibility of an SQL injection includes the simple fact that all of LulzSec’s members officially joined up with Anonymous following LulzSec’s public disbanding last week,” Murphy writes.

LulzSechas targeted Apple before claiming to have successfully hacked Apple’s iCloud service.

The group stated, “After mapping [iCloud’s] internal network and thoroughly pillaging all of their servers, we grabbed all their source code and database passwords, which we proceeded to shift silently back to our storage deck.”

 

So far Apple has not commented on the Anonymous hack or the previous LulzSec attack.