AntiSec Hacks FBI Laptop With Apple IDs; 12M Users Allegedly Exposed
The anti-government hacker organization AntiSec has recently posted 1 million identification numbers for various Apple products, claiming that they obtained such sensitive personal information from a hacked FBI laptop.
"Why exposing (sic) this personal data?" commented one anonymous writer claiming to be a member of the AntiSec activist group on the Pastebin website.
"Well, we have learnt (sic) it seems quite clear nobody pays attention if you just come and say 'Hey, FBI is using your device details and info and who the (expletive) knows what the hell are they experimenting with that,' well sorry, but nobody will care," the writer added.
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The hackers are claiming to have actually hacked 12 million Apple IDs from an FBI laptop belonging to FBI agent Christopher K. Stangl of the Regional Cyber Action Team and the New York FBI office's Evidence Response Team.
Stangl had reportedly saved the identification information in a file entitled "NCFTA_iOS_devices_intel.csv."
Some of these Apple identifications include full names, addresses, and phone numbers. It is unclear what AntiSec is planning to do with the remaining 11 million Apple IDs it claims to have hacked.
Additionally, if AntiSec's claims are in fact true, Internet bloggers are questioning why the FBI would be in possession of so many Americans' personal information. Many suggest that the Apple IDs, if actually used by the FBI, were being used to profile potential threats to the U.S. government.
Forbes magazine points out that the security breach raises several questions, including what the motive would be for AntiSec to engage in such a massive hack of Stangl's laptop.
Several sources stipulate that Stangl was involved in an FBI group email sent out earlier in 2012 which was intercepted by AntiSec. The email touched on the importance of stopping hacking groups, such as AntiSec and the infamous Anonymous group from conducting such widespread hacks.
As Forbes points out, the FBI is a regular target for such attacks, with some hacker organizations even embarking into long term operations under the communal celebratory "F*** FBI Fridays."
The FBI has released a statement to NBC News arguing that there is no evidence the FBI went through a legal process to access the Apple ID information, and therefore these available Apple IDs released by AntiSec are likely a malware hoax used to infect users seeking to view the list of IDs.
