[Swordmaker]

Before anyone panics about this, I believe it is a hoax. This was released on New Years Day by a "hacker" who claims he released it so "Apple could fix it" but did not notify Apple. Apple's iCloud locks out failed password attempts after five failed tries, but this "hacker" claims he has found a way around it. . . and also claims he is using a "dictionary" attack. However, the passwords used on iCloud require a Number, upper and lower case letters, and a keyboard symbol, which are unlikely to be found in any simple "dictionary" style attack, which is more the approach used by amateur hackers. So the question arises is how does he get around Apple's password try limitation? The likelihood is he doesn't. . . and the tweeters who claim they have succeeded are probably lying.

Even the "Fappening" was not accomplished by breaking the passwords to iCloud. . . and most of the images that were leaked did not come from iCloud, but rather from a community of perverts who trade celebrity compromising photos among themselves and work to hack into the celebrities' computers and phones directly by researching their bios to get clues to passwords and security questions. — Swordmaker

[Swordmaker]

Another hacker has claimed to be able to break into iCloud using a "dictionary" attack on iCloud passwords. . . and says he can get around the five password attempt lockout. He released his hack into the wild on New Years Day, when everyone was on vacation, "so Apple would fix it!" and some tweeters claim to have used it successfully. I believe it is a hoax. The Apple iCloud lock-out is pretty solid. . . and a dictionary attack ignores that Apple requires fairly complex passwords, using a number, upper and lower case letters, and a keyboard symbol, things not found in common dictionary words.

If you haven't already, DO activate two factor authentication for Apple iCloud account access. — PING!

Apple Security Ping!

If you want on or off the Mac Ping List, Freepmail me.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

General comment — I wish it wasn’t so darned difficult to switch to numbers and symbols on the iPad. My fingers work a pattern/rhythm on a PC keyboard which soesnt work on the phone or iPad.

This is about #300 on the Github common pw list: 1941.Salembbb.41

If THAT is common, then I’m a billionaire.

[angry elephant]

Who backs up anything except itunes and pictures to the iCloud anyway? Will they steal my big music library? Good luck with them clogging up their servers with that gigantic eclectic media collection.

The more than 6,000 hiking pictures are scary even to me when I sync to a new devide.

[dragnet2]

Don’t sync to anything....They’ve spent tens of millions developing and creating Cloud etc and they offer it for free?

Ya think if it was secure it would be free?

lol....

They want your stuff, your data, your info, everything.

Don’t sync to anything...

[lefty-lie-spy]

Good assessment, and the same as my own. I stopped reading after I saw “dictionary”, and jumped right to the comments.

[Gaffer]

It could possibly be a hoax. To me though it (using iCloud) might as well be an invitation to the NSA to go to iCloud for one-stop data shopping instead of having to pilfer through all the millions of individual data sources out there. Much cheaper.

[amigatec]

I use my own “on-line” backup. I have one of those Net storage drives I can access from my devises over the ‘net.

[eyedigress]

It is a hoax. I install T5 systems and 26 variations are required to get in.

Not gonna happen.