FBI has data of 12 million users of Apple: Hackers

Concern for cybersecurity protection

A group of hackers claimed to have obtained personal data of 12 million users of the iPhone and iPad, the FBI hack a computer, which raises concerns about government controls in the U.S., AFP reported. The group called AntiSec, and linked to the hacker group Anonymous, published data from one million users of Apple, which claims are part of a group of 12 million, allegedly obtained from a laptop to the Federal Bureau of Investigation ( Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI).

FBI denies accusations

The FBI spokeswoman Jenny Shearer, who was contacted by AFP, declined to comment. Apple did not respond to a request for comment on the case. However, CNN reported that the FBI denied these accusations, because "no evidence" to support the claims of this group of hackers. "The FBI is aware of published reports alleging that a laptop FBI has been compromised and that private data about Apple UDID (Unique Device Identifiers, for its acronym in English) were exposed", according to a FBI spokesman. But the news spread quickly among the social networks and news blogs. Peter Kruse, a specialist computer crime CSIS Security Group in Denmark, said on Twitter that the leak "is real" and confirmed that three of its devices were on the list. "I also noticed that claim to have the full name, addresses, phone numbers, etc ..." tweeted.

Why the FBI have this information?

Eric Hemmendinger, a security expert of Tata Communications, said the news raised concerns about the protection of cybersecurity. "The question is not if correct, is why the FBI had information and it did not bother to secure it," he told AFP. Hemmendinger said that based on previous reports of Anonymous and related groups, believed that the information was probably true. "If you work in cybersecurity and your machine is hacked, a scenario that is quite embarrassing," he urged.

Could lead to identity theft 

The tech blog Geekosystem specialist called it "one of the worst disasters of privacy (occurred) until" several comments and social network Twitter suggested that the FBI is following Apple users. A website set up a database to help users determine if your device was among the list of Apple devices with a unique identification number (UDIDs) which had been pirated. "Why the FBI was collecting the UDIDs and personal information of millions of users of the iPhone and the iPad is not yet clear, but it is obvious that the data (and the computer that were supposedly saved) lacked adequate security "said Graham Cluley of security firm Sophos UK. "My suspicion is that the hackers were more interested in embarrassing the FBI team that endanger the innocent users. Anyway, computer hacking is a crime, and could advance to the FBI and other law enforcement are trying to catch those responsible. " Others expressed concern about the apparent leak. "Since UDIDs are unique to each iPhone and iPad, but yours ends in the wrong hands is a concern," said Josh Ong, the technology blog The Next Web. "The biggest problem, however, is that they are linked to additional personal information, including the names of users, their devices, signals notifications, phone numbers and addresses, which could potentially lead to a identity theft. " Johannes Ullrich of the SANS Internet Storm Center, a specialized agency in monitoring security threats on the Internet, said it was difficult to verify the information. "There is nothing in the file that would involve the FBI. As the data may come from another source. But it is unclear who would have a file like this," he told AFP. Ullrich said he is not clear why the FBI, if the information is correct, would this data. "The file size ... involve a wide operation and not a specific trace, or the file may be stored in case you need to track any user of it," he said. "The importance of this offense relies heavily on the source, which as far as I know, has not yet been authenticated." The data, however, are the real Apple UDIDs said.