Apple's biggest hack ever: iPhone users warned over 225,000 stolen accounts
Over 225,000 Apple accounts have been hacked and stolen from iPhones that have been "jailbroken" using the tool Cydia.
Weiptech and Palo Alto networks learned that the Apple accounts were compromised by a malware that gained access to the iPhone. The incident, which has been considered as the biggest Apple hack ever, underscores the danger that jailbreaking poses to Apple devices and iPhone users, according to the Telegraph.
The Apple hack had affected iPhone users across eight countries including China, where the hackers have been traced, CNET reports.
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Jailbreaking is the practice of removing the hardware limitations on iOS and allowing users to access restricted apps. This process also allows iPhone users to customize their smartphone, but Apple does not approve of it.
"To protect our users from malware, we curate App Store content and ensure all apps in the App Store adhere to our developer guidelines," CNET quotes an Apple representative's statement regarding the recent hack.
The practice of jailbreaking an iPhone is done using tools that are unauthorized by Apple. It could also allow malware to be installed on Apple devices without the users' knowledge, the report adds.
In the recent massive Apple hack, the malware called KeyRaider took all the stolen data and uploaded them to a separate and unsecure server. Fortunately, the researchers from Weiptech and Palo Alto networks were able to hack that server and retrieve some of the stolen data before it was too late, the report details.
Those who have jailbroken their Apple devices are vulnerable to hacks. Apple has warned its users against using third-party apps that are unapproved by Apple. Another way to prevent an iPhone hack is to change passwords regularly and avoid using the same passwords for different email accounts. Once a device has been jailbroken, users would immediately change their password.
