AT&T iPad User Data Exposed, FBI to Investigate Security Breach
In a shocking security breach, a French group of security researchers called Goatse Security managed to expose the data of nearly 114,000 AT&T iPad owners including top politicians, senior military officials, CEOs and who’s who of the business and entertainment world. The breach exposed the email addresses of the iPad buyers and exploited a weakness which apparently links email addresses with iPad serial numbers. FBI has now ordered a probe into this serious security breach.
The breach was first reported by Gawker website and has spread like wild fire over the internet in the last couple of days. Though AT&T has fixed the security loophole few days back, most victims were aware of the breach till it was exposed publicly over the internet. The list of victim includes high-profile names such as NYC mayor Michael Bloomberg and White House chief of staff, Rahm Emanuel.
AT&T has confirmed the breach, apologized to its customers and said it will inform any customers who had been impacted by the security breach. As expected, Apple has declined to comment on the issue in order to pass the buck to AT&T.
AT&T and Apple share a sensitive relationship and this incident is likely to complicate the matter further. The iPad is a great device but such incidents are bound to raise question marks over AT&T’s increasing troubles related to poor service and security flaws. Clearly, this breach is a matter of great concern for one and all. It has exposed the email addresses of users registered on DARPA, the advanced research division of the Department of Defense, along with the major service branches.
The only saving grace for AT&T and Apple is that the breach only exposed the email addresses of iPad owners. It could have been far worse if other personal details of these users were compromised as well. Were you affected by this incident as well? If so, I’d like to hear from you.
