Apple probes report iCloud hacked to gain stars’ photos

Apple Inc., which is poised to unveil new iPhones next week, and the FBI are probing reports hackers used the company’s iCloud service to illegally access nude photos of actress Jennifer Lawrence and other celebrities.

Hackers posted the nude photos on the anonymous image-sharing website 4chan, the Telegraph in London reported.

The photos targeting more than 100 U.S. and U.K. celebrities were allegedly obtained by breaking into iCloud accounts, the newspaper said.

A representative for Oscar winner Lawrence confirmed the photos were hers and called the situation a “flagrant violation of privacy,” the Telegraph reported.

“We take user privacy very seriously and are actively investigating this report,” Nat Kerris, a spokeswoman for Cupertino, California-based Apple, said without providing additional details.

The iCloud service, a key part of Apple’s strategy to unite its iPhones, tablets and desktop computers, lets users store contacts, emails, photos and other personal information on external systems they can access virtually.

Apple has fixed a bug in its “Find My iPhone” software that may have allowed hackers to gain access to the celebrity iCloud accounts, the Engadget technology website reported, citing developers.

The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation released a statement today saying the agency is aware of the allegations “concerning computer intrusions and the unlawful release of material involving high profile individuals.” The agency is “addressing the matter,” Laura Eimiller, an FBI spokeswoman in Los Angeles, said by email.

The FBI doesn’t typically confirm investigations as a matter of practice, Eimiller said by telephone. “Clearly there’s a high public interest, so we felt it appropriate to provide a limited statement,” she said.

The risk to iCloud users will depend on whether the breach happened within Apple’s security or within the celebrities’ personal accounts, said Clifford Neuman, director of the University of Southern California’s Center for Computer Systems Security. Either way, some users may not understand when and how they are using such services, especially during the set-up.

“The data are leaving the devices that are in your possession and are now being stored on a server elsewhere,” Neuman said in a telephone interview.

“For most things, that’s probably a good thing but for things that are sensitive, that’s a problem.”

The celebrity hack comes days before Apple’s scheduled Sept. 9 product announcement near its headquarters.

Apple will introduce bigger-display iPhones and a wearable device at the event, people with knowledge of the plans have said. Anticipation for the event boosted Apple’s shares to a record close on Aug. 29 of $102.50, a 28 percent gain this year. (Bloomberg)