Apple, PayPal Comment On ‘Find my iPhone’ Ransom Scare

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Some Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) device owners in Australia received a shock on Tuesday when they got the news that their iPhone, iPad, iMac had been hacked. However, it took almost a day and a half for Apple to come out with an update on the situation, saying that iCloud is not responsible for the hack.

“Apple takes security very seriously and iCloud was not compromised during this incident,” Apple said in a statement.

Apple did not reveal the source of the attack

The iPhone maker further said that affected users must soon change their Apple ID password, and users must also not use the same name and password for multiple services. If you need further help, the Cupertino-based firm has advised users to contact AppleCare or visit their local Apple Retail Store.

Nowhere in the statement doesApple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) mention the number of  affected users, nor does it identify the source of the issue.

Apart from Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL), PayPal also issued a statement informing users that the Hotmail address given by the hacker is not connected with any PayPal account. The payment service company assured that company’s Buyer Protection policy protects users even if money has been sent to the hacker. The company also added that account details saved in the PayPal app on users’ iDevices will remain protected from the hacker.

Users disappointed

The users whose phones were hacked received iPhone alerts on their devices along with a ransom demand ranging from $50 to $100 to be sent through PayPal. Some of the victims were able to unlock their phones as they had a passcode, but most of them could not access their devices due to a complete lockout of the phone. Some users lost access to other devices apart from phones.

Furious iDevice owners turned to Twitter and Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) forums to vent their anger and demanded a quick fix.

“I was using my iPad a short while ago, when suddenly it locked itself…” one user wrote on Apple’s support page. The user added that on checking the phone, there was a message saying that the device has been hacked by ‘Oleg Pliss’ and demanded ransom of $100 USD/EUR.

Till now, only users in Australia have been affected. Although it could not be established how hackers hacked into so many Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) IDs, however, it is suspected that a database might have been compromised. There are users who use the email addresses over and again for various accounts, thus putting all their accounts at risk. Those users whose iOS and Macs have been hacked can contact Apple or their network carrier to address the issue.

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