iCloud a Headache for Apple? Company Issues Security Warning

| Published: Wednesday, October 22, 2014, 12:44 [IST]

Apple is one of those companies that prides itself of a secured iOS ecosystem. And while it keeps true to its pride, it seems not all is well with its iCloud offering. The recent celebrity hacks is a burning example to that.

Now, as latest reports suggest, Apple has posted a brand new security warning for users of its iCloud online storage service. The new move comes amid reports of an effort to steal passwords and other personal data from people who use the popular service in China.

iCloud a Headache for Apple? Company Issues Security Warning

"We're aware of intermittent organized network attacks using insecure certificates to obtain user information, and we take this very seriously,'' the company said in a post Tuesday on its support website. The post also added that Apple's own servers have not been compromised.

While Apple's post certainly did not mention China or provide any details on the attacks, several news outlets reported Tuesday that some Chinese Internet users have begun experiencing warnings that indicate they had been diverted to an unauthorized website when they went to sign into their iCloud accounts.

This kind of diversion, known to computer security experts as a ''man in the middle'' attack, is known to allow a third party to copy and steal the passwords that users enter when they think they are signing into Apple's service. Hackers could then use the passwords to collect other data from the users' accounts.

"Chinese activists blamed the attacks on that country's government, according to news reports and the Chinese activist website GreatFire.org, which suggested the campaign was spurred by the fact that Apple recently began selling its newest iPhone models, the iPhone 6 and 6 Plus, in China. The new smartphones have software with enhanced encryption features to protect Apple users' data," AP reported.