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APPLE SAYS ITS DEVELOPER SITE WAS HACKED




Apple Inc. told software developers that its website for
them had been hacked and some information may have been stolen.
In response to the attack, which took place Thursday, the
company said it is overhauling its
developer systems, updating software and rebuilding its
database.

Developers look over new apps being displayed on iPads at the Apple’s Worldwide Developers Conference in San Francisco in June.
In an email sent to the
developers, Apple said an intruder attempted to secure personal information from the
website. It also said that “sensitive” personal information
on the site is encrypted and
cannot be accessed and that information associated with its
customers wasn’t affected.
“However, we have not been able to rule out the possibility that some developers’ names, mailing
addresses, and/or email addresses may have been accessed,” the company wrote.
Apple said it took the site down Thursday and has been working
around the clock since then intresponse to the attack. “In the
spirit of transparency, we want to inform you of the issue,” the
email said.
The company didn’t say how many developers might have been affected by the attack. But
large numbers of people work on creating software for Apple’s popular iPhones and iPads as
well as its Mac computers. The company says there are 275,000 registered developers for its mobile devices.
The developer connection website contains pre-release
software, technology for testing new programs and information about how to code applications for the company’s various
products. Apple is currently completing work on new versions of its iOS mobile
operating system and its Mac software.
The company hadn’t previously explained why the website
became inaccessible Thursday.
Some online publications reported that developers said
their passwords had been reset.
Apple had largely been spared the high-profile break-ins that
have afflicted some other companies. Sony was attacked in 2011, for example, causing more than 100 million of its customer’s accounts to be compromised.
Hacking groups, including the loosely organized Internet
political group Anonymous,attacked the systems of various
other companies including Nintendo, and government
affiliates and agencies.
Apple assured developers that it
is “completely overhauling” its
developer systems, updating software and working on its
databases.
“In order to prevent a security threat like this from happening
again, we’re completely overhauling our developer systems, updating our server
software, and rebuilding our entire database. We apologize for the significant inconvenience that our downtime has caused you and we expect to have the
developer website up again soon.”
Apple declined to provide any
information about who attacked them, nor whether it was
working with any government agencies or outside investigative teams.
“The website that was breached is not associated with any
customer information,” Tom Neumayr, an Apple spokesman
said. “Additionally, customer information is securely encrypted.”
David Barnard, founder of App Cubby, a company that makes
apps for Apple’s devices, said having the site down is an
inconvenience. But he said he is not worried about the lost data,
since he uses a UPS mailbox for his address and a unique
password that could not be used to tap into other sites.
One potential worry is if the attacker got access to his company’s employer
identification number, the equivalent of a social security number for businesses, “but
from what I understand that
data is stored in a completely separate system and was not
compromised,” Barnard said.