Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) knew about the iCloud security flaw before the hacking incident happened

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By Daniel Craine on September 25, 2014 Intl News

According to an interesting story that surfaced today Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) knew about the weakness in iCloud system that led to the infamous iCloud hacking of over 100 celebrity accounts in September, just days before Apple’s big launch event.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) just cannot keep itself out of controversies and negative press. Its pre and post iPhone launch period has been plagued by one incident after another. Another interesting news surfaced today according to which Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was aware of a security flaw in its iCloud system at least six months before the iCloud hacking happened; this same security flaw was apparently the cause of the August iCloud accounts hacking incident.

According to reports Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) was notified about the security glitch by Ibrahim Balic who is a security researcher working independently. According to Balic he sent many emails to Apple’s security team informing them about the flaw in their security system.

According to an email that Balic sent to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) back in March earlier this year, the security researcher informed the tech giant’s security team that he could breach or bypass any iCloud account’s security with the help of “brute force”. Brute Force is a commonly used method for hacking, which uses thousands of password combinations to figure out the right one.

Balic said that he made a recommendation to Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) telling them to update their iCloud system and allow only a limited number of login attempts to each user. Balic also claims that he even used Apple’s Bug Reporter to get their attention.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) responded to Balic’s emails and notifications back in May; the company raised concerns regarding the exploit’s validity. According to Balic Apple said that it would take hackers a very long time to get a legitimate authentication token to access any iCloud account. He further said that Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) pursued the matter and kept asking him about how the flaw could be used.
The world famous iCloud breach finally happened in September just over a week before Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s September 9 event. The hack compromised over 100 celebrity accounts, which resulted in theft and leakage of intimate photographs. These photographs were later posted by the hacker and shared all over the internet. One of the victims Joy Carrigan, a model, has threatened to sue Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) for its “crappy” security.

The reason for the hack could not be figured out immediately after the incident. However later it was believed that brute force was used through which the hacker was able to guess the right passwords.

Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) came out with a not-so satisfactory statement saying that investigations will be made into the incident. Later Tim Cook came out with his own statement saying that Apple will send out notifications and alerts to its users whenever a user account will be accessed from a new device. Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) also made a few security upgrades to its system, which included two-step verification, specific passwords for different apps and encryption codes.