Apple, known for its obsession for security in its devices, was hacked by a high school student who was able to steal 90 GB of secure files and accessed customer accounts in the process.
The 16-year-old hacker, who happened to be a huge fan of Apple, then stored the proof of his activities in a folder named "hacky hack hack."
Australian High School Student Hacks Apple
Apple's servers are considered to be unhackable, but apparently, a 16-year-old student from Australia has proven everybody wrong. He even went on WhatsApp to brag about it.
The teenager was able to infiltrate Apple's servers for around a year and steal 90 GB worth of secure files, which he then placed in a folder named "hacky hack hack" in one of his laptops.
The young hacker, who may not be identified by name due to legal reasons, as he is still a minor, hacked Apple because he was a big fan of the company, his lawyer said, according to a report by The Age. He used VPNs to hide his identity and had access to authorized keys that granted log-in access to users.
When Apple detected the repeated incidents of unauthorized access, it reported the security breach to the FBI. The investigation traced the source of the hacks to Australia, prompting the Australian Federal Police to join the case. The authorities were able to acquire a warrant to raid the teenager's home, where they found evidence of his hacking activities.
A prosecutor at the teenager's hearing stated that the police found two MacBooks with serial numbers that matched the devices that were able to access Apple's servers. The police were also able to seize a hard drive and a mobile phone, which also had an IP address that matched the security breaches.
The 16-year-old, who is well known in the hacking community, has pleaded guilty and is now facing criminal charges. However, after everything passes, it may be wise for Apple to give the teenager a job offer.
Apple's Future Plans
Apple has not revealed what kind of files the 16-year-old hacker was able to steal. Could they be related to the company's future plans?
Recently reported Apple rumors include dual-sim iPhones and cheaper MacBooks slated for release this December. Famed Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo also recently predicted that Apple will release augmented reality glasses by 2020 and the Apple Car between 2023 and 2025.
With the stolen files kept under wraps, we may never know if the teenager was able to acquire information that will confirm or debunk these rumors.
