iTunes hacked! Apple ignores it
It is now over eight months since I first reported to you my experience of getting hacked on iTunes. Last June, hackers found a way into my iTunes account using Sega's Kingdom Conquest -- a game I never downloaded. I was bilked out of $95.30, which the hackers stole from my account through iOS' in-app purchase mechanism.
Within hours of posting that story, I was flooded with dozens -- if not hundreds -- of similar stories. Initially, they were similar to mine and involved Kingdom Conquest, but additional reports indicated other games are being used to break into iTunes accounts worldwide.
Those other games are Storm8's World War, and Kamagame's Texas Poker.
New reports received by BetaNews indicate that attacks using the hack are once again on the rise. While the volume of emails to me was generally steady since the June story, in the past two weeks there is a marked increase in the number of reports.
Users write that they have not had any trouble in recovering funds -- myself included -- however, Apple has not responded to their requests for more information on how they were hacked. BetaNews contacted Apple for comment on this story Wednesday afternoon, and like the three previous times we were ignored.
What is happening here? BetaNews believes that this particular hack affecting iTunes is likely sourced to an exploit existing in Apple's in-app purchasing mechanism. It is the only similiarity between every report received over the past eight-plus months.
While a majority of users reporting in as victims have had their iTunes credit balances drained, some also saw fraudulent charges to linked credit card and PayPal accounts. While an issue may exist there as well, it's likely not the primary cause of the hack.
In any case, Apple's insistence on ignoring both victims and the press not only keeps everyone in the dark as to why this continues to occur -- from our research, now going on nearly a year -- but also provides little solace to those hacked that these hackers do not have a way in that we may not be able to protect ourselves by password alone.
That's simply irresponsible. How many people need to be hacked before Apple thinks it's the right time to speak? The company gains nothing by sitting on the sidelines ignoring the problem, and it is a problem.
Are you a victim of this hack, or a similar one on iTunes? Please let me know, I continue to compile your reports, and will continue to attempt to get Apple to talk. Contact me at ed at ozmedia dot com. Sooner or later, Apple is going to have to own up to this.
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