iPhones frozen by hackers demanding ransom

The Telegraph ^ | 27 May 2014 | Matthew Sparkes

[for-q-clinton]

Owners of iPhones and iPads have been targeted by a hacker who is freezing iOS devices and demanding a ransom of up to £55 to unlock them.

...

"I went to check my phone and there was a message on the screen (it's still there) saying that my device(s) had been hacked by 'Oleg Pliss' and he/she/they demanded $100 USD/EUR (sent by paypal to lock404(at)hotmail.com) to return them to me.

...

"Such scams have been around for years. By using the credentials to access an Apple iCloud account, the attackers can enable the 'Find My iPhone' service - this is not only able to locate a lost or stolen device, but also to set a passcode preventing third parties from accessing the personal data stored on the smartphone.

"This is clearly a form of ransomware, previously only seen on PC and, recently, on Android devices - although in these cases malware was used to trigger this behaviour. This campaign is further proof that cybercriminals are adopting criminal business models developed for the PC, applying them to new areas and fine-tuning their methods."

[for-q-clinton]

Probably a case of stolen ID & Password; however, when this happens in the PC world Microsoft gets blamed. So now that it's happening to Apple products is it safe to blame Apple? Or are they still immune from insult?

[E. Pluribus Unum]

Actually, it was eBay's fault.

[GeronL]

hackers should be skinned when they are caught

[Veggie Todd]

Actually, it was eBay's fault.

You spelled Bush's wrong.

[Mastador1]

Probably a case of stolen ID & Password; however, when this happens in the PC world Microsoft gets blamed. So now that it's happening to Apple products is it safe to blame Apple? Or are they still immune from insult?

Beware! Thou shalt not insult or impugn the blessed Apple, lest thou becomest the recipient of the Wrath of Rush!

[dhs12345]

As should the perps of identity theft. There is a general attitude that these kinds of crimes are “harmless.”

[Red Badger]

Flailing that they should be boiled in oil..............

[zeugma]

Probably a case of stolen ID & Password; however, when this happens in the PC world Microsoft gets blamed. So now that it's happening to Apple products is it safe to blame Apple? Or are they still immune from insult?

Depends upon where he got the userid and password. If it was somehow scarfed from Apple, they absolutely, they are at fault.

It not, then the blame goes elsewhere.

It's pretty straightforward. If someone has that 'find my phone' feature turned on, then gives up the userid/password for it, you can pretty much bet you're going to get screwed.

If you don't have the 'find my phone' feature turned on, it's not an issue.

[Jane Long]

Discussed in much detail, here....

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-chat/3160639/posts

[longtermmemmory]

this is why cloud computer is just plain dangerous and a fools errand.

[dhs12345]

Someone should write a virus that wipes out the bank accounts of the writers of the extortion virus.

Respond back in an email... my payment can be found at the following link. Or my bank account information can be found in the attachment.

[GeronL]

bump

[roadcat]

So now that it's happening to Apple products is it safe to blame Apple?

Its eBay's fault. Having said that, anyone using the same account info and password for eBay and iTunes deserves to be hacked. This is happening in Australia, not here. Guess they're not that bright?

[VanDeKoik]

I’m just surprised Swordmaker didn’t try to spin it as a hoax.

[Swordmaker]

Probably a case of stolen ID & Password; however, when this happens in the PC world Microsoft gets blamed. So now that it's happening to Apple products is it safe to blame Apple? Or are they still immune from insult?

It is. . . and thanks for posting. The fault lies both in eBay and Adobe for allowing the theft of user accounts and in people who use the same user ID and password in all their accounts. . . not a good idea.

[roadcat]

Depends upon where he got the userid and password. If it was somehow scarfed from Apple, they absolutely, they are at fault.

From eBay. As far as I know, eBay does not save your iTunes ID and password, which means people were using the same information for eBay and iTunes. People should know better, and use different passwords for different accounts! I have the "find my phone" feature on in my iPads, as it is useful. My iPad was stolen a couple years ago, I remotely tracked it to a hotel and gave the information to the police. Then later I remotely wiped the data. The thief must have been scared, because it was anonymously turned in to authorities and I recovered it intact. "Find my phone" is useful.

[Swordmaker]

I’m just surprised Swordmaker didn’t try to spin it as a hoax.

Of course you are surprised. . . Since you are the spinner on any Apple thread.

[bigbob]

Lol, “That’s not a vulnerability, it’s a FEATURE!”

[musicman]

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[SunkenCiv]

I got an email over the weekend from eBay, everyone on eBay should change their passwords, as the system was hacked two or three months ago, and this has just now been detected.