Hackers trying to bribe Apple workers into handing over login information, report says
Hackers are trying to bribe workers at Apple's Irish offices with thousands of euros, hoping to gain access to sensitive company login information, according to several people within the company.
"I could sell my Apple ID login information online for ?20,000 [$23,000]," one source noted to Business Insider. While the same person claimed that the hackers are emailing people at "random," another source said that they're specifically hunting for people who've "jumped diagonally" into a junior management position, and therefore aren't committed "lifers" resistant to outside offers.
To counteract the bribes the company has reportedly launched an initiative called "Grow Your Own," but further details about it are unknown.
Likewise uncertain is exactly what the hackers are after, but they could be looking to steal product information or business strategies. Apple's Irish workforce is unlikely to have access to the most sensitive content, however, which is presumably reserved for high-level designers, engineers, and executives at Apple's main headquarters in Cupertino.
Apple's Irish facilities are generally dedicated to the more mundane aspects of its business, though they are home to the company's only fully-owned factory, which assembles iMacs. The company also funnels much of its international revenue through the country in an attempt to reduce taxes.
"I could sell my Apple ID login information online for ?20,000 [$23,000]," one source noted to Business Insider. While the same person claimed that the hackers are emailing people at "random," another source said that they're specifically hunting for people who've "jumped diagonally" into a junior management position, and therefore aren't committed "lifers" resistant to outside offers.
To counteract the bribes the company has reportedly launched an initiative called "Grow Your Own," but further details about it are unknown.
Likewise uncertain is exactly what the hackers are after, but they could be looking to steal product information or business strategies. Apple's Irish workforce is unlikely to have access to the most sensitive content, however, which is presumably reserved for high-level designers, engineers, and executives at Apple's main headquarters in Cupertino.
Apple's Irish facilities are generally dedicated to the more mundane aspects of its business, though they are home to the company's only fully-owned factory, which assembles iMacs. The company also funnels much of its international revenue through the country in an attempt to reduce taxes.
Comments
This is probably an excellent reason ALL Apple logins and passwords should be replaced with either Touch ID or the combination of Touch ID and a password, so no one, not even Apple could access user data.
And I thought by 2015 everything on Apple devices would be TouchID compatible. Seemed logical even way back when it anounced.
On the Windows side of things, things are compounded further as only a password can be used as there's no way of having TouchID on any machine as an external thing, since it defeats the secure element.
Like I expect sometime soon that TouchID type of sensors will be part of computer monitors and be transmitted over the HDCP handshake as an alternative to logging in with a password or "cloud password"
Personally I think logging in with your apple or microsoft login into your PC/Mac is putting way too much faith in Apple or Microsoft and internet connectivity reliability.
(would it be very, very cheeky of us to ask for a few of them, in Cork, Galway, Dublin and Letterkenny?)
I think it's more of a softened 2-step verification. The two together provide superior security.
https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT201371