App Store Hacked: Half a Million Paid for Apps Downloaded for Free
The Apple App Store has seemingly been hacked. That's basically what the actions of Russian hacker Alexey Borodin amounts to; he has launched a service recently that allows iOS users to purchase apps without paying for them.
The piece of software being released by the hacker allows people to download most paid for apps for basically free.
The service has been getting huge amounts of attention, although various reports have stated that it does not seem to work on all paid for apps, however, a majority are susceptible to the hacker's service.
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Borodin's hacker service basically operates by changing the configuration settings in the user's iOS device. This means that when the user goes to purchase a paid for app their payment request is redirected to a non-Apple server being run by the hacker in Russia.
Reports have confirmed that most paid for apps are downloadable for free using the service, and users do not even have to jailbreak their iOS devices to take advantage of the hole in Apple's payment system. Almost half a million paid for apps have so far been downloaded through the service for free in just 24 hours since its launch.
However, it should be noted before readers run off to get their free apps, the service is a hack, and is not authentic. By registered a device a user opens themselves to various privacy and security concerns, as their data on their device, including stored payment details and id and passwords could potentially be taken by the hacker's server. The hacker has claimed he is not out to break anyone's security, and is not after any profit, most users would be prudent not to open themselves up to such a security risk.
Apple has warned its users, and confirmed it is doing all it can to find a solution to the anomaly in its system.
"The security of the App Store is incredibly important to us and the developer community. We take reports of fraudulent activity very seriously and we are investigating" Apple representative Natalie Harrison has said.
