Apple plans new security features after hack of celebrity photos
Apple Inc. will add new security features after the accounts of celebrities using its services were hacked and photographs of them were posted on the Internet.
The Cupertino, California-based company said people will receive e-mails and other alerts on their iPhones and iPads if an effort is made to change a password, log in from a new device or restore files -- steps that Apple thinks will help signal to customers whether their accounts are at risk.
The new layer of notifications is for iCloud, the service for storing files including pictures, contacts and e-mail on Apple's data centers. The company will also add more password protection, called two-step verification, which will send an extra code to a person's mobile phone after a password is entered. That feature has previously only been available for iTunes and App Store.
Chief Executive Officer Tim Cook shared the security features in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Kristin Huguet, a spokeswoman for Apple, confirmed the new procedures and declined to elaborate.
Apple is grappling with the fallout from the recent hacks, which shone a spotlight on the company's security systems and drew scrutiny from the U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigation. Hackers gained access to the iCloud accounts of celebrities including model Kate Upton and actress Jennifer Lawrence, stealing their nude photographs and posting the images online.
Not Responsible
The iPhone maker earlier this week said the intrusions were the result of hackers targeting the celebrities directly, including answering security questions to reset their password or targeting them with e-mail scams. The photographs weren't stolen because of a breach of its iCloud system, Apple said.
The hacking comes days before one of Apple's biggest product events in years, with larger-screen iPhones and a watch- like wearable device set to be introduced on Sept. 9, people familiar with the plans have said. With the photographs making headlines worldwide, the hacks risk undercutting the trust customers have in sharing information with the company. Other new products to be unveiled next week, including a mobile- payments system, would require customers to share health and financial information with Apple.
To contact the reporter on this story: Adam Satariano in San Francisco at asatariano1bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Pui-Wing Tam at ptam13bloomberg.net Robert Fenner