iTunes Account Hacking Still an Issue for Apple

 

CNN runs a story about hacking an account on iTunes and how Apple has failed to address this issue for years. A security researcher suggests there is a good chance Apple does not even try to fix the problem.

This report highlights some of the complaints from Apple forum poster, like this one from a user identified as "glight":

"It's clear that Apple iTunes has a big problem on their hands, and they remain silent about it when you have been hacked. And the people's money and personal info has been stolen, you must ... be more responsible (and responsive) from Apple this , "wrote glight.


Another example comes from the population of England Fiona McKinlay, an iTunes account is one of the first to get hacked.

After the account was compromised, Fiona see the new gift card balance wiped almost entirely.

He wrote on the Apple discussion panel: "In December 2010 I loaded £ 25 gift card, and a few days later 'in app purchases that I did not make me bring balance to £ 1.02."

"They are very helpful in that they disabled my account immediately, refunded my money, de-authorized all of the machines associated with my account and my account is reactivated, but fails to recognize that there may be some sort of problem with their system," he said.

"Until one day I find something that says Apple has acknowledged a problem and now have decided that, I would assume the problem is still there and they're still just trying to pretend not to. They use the phrase 'Please note that this is a one-time exception for our sales policy. "That said to me, 'Well, we kind of think this is your fault and just being nice,'" he added.

Indeed, it may seem like it, given that these evil practices continue to occur.

While most of the stolen amount is relatively low, they can sometimes reach hundreds of dollars, in this case Apple is generally agreed to restore the lost cash.

Some customers who find themselves in this situation reveals that Apple agreed to return them as a "one-time exception to our sales policy," according to a published email from the company.

CNN shows that Apple declined to comment on whether they are making progress trying to fix this problem.

The report includes statements from Ty Miller, chief technology officer at Sydney-based IT security firm Pure Hacking, who believe Apple would prefer to replace the hacked account and live with this problem, although it appears to be widespread.

"I would expect Apple to take some kind of action now," said Miller. "[That they have not been] able to show one of two things," he said.

"Either Apple has accepted the risk of fraudulent transactions and they are happy to replace the money because it may cost more to repair then they are completely defeated. [Or] there is an inherent flaw in the way they have created a gift card number and it will bring improvements serious than they are to change the way the system actually works, "says Miller.