Apple and Facebook parent firm, Meta, reportedly handed over information to hackers who were pretending to be law enforcement officers.
Apple, Meta Hands Over Info to Hackers
As per a news story by Bloomberg, tech giants, Apple and Meta, formerly known as Facebook, gave the data of their customers to hackers who made these firms believe that they were law enforcement authorities.
The news outlet cited three sources that were close to the matter, which said that both Apple and Meta have given away the private data of their users and customers, including their phone numbers, addresses, and IP addresses.
On top of that, the news outlet noted that the incident occurred way back in mid-2021.
Hackers and Fake Emergency Requests
It turns out that the two tech giants handed over this information to hackers who successfully created fake "emergency data requests."
The sources of Bloomberg went on to say that law enforcement officials typically provide requests along with either a subpoena that was signed by a court judge or a search warrant.
Meanwhile, according to a recent report by The Verge, authorities usually request data of customers of social media giants if there is an ongoing criminal investigation.
It further provides law enforcement officials with more information about a certain social media account that could have been involved in criminal activity. But, this time around, it appears that threat actors are using emergency requests to carry out an attack.
It is worth noting that "emergency data requests" do not require any court order. It comes as it is usually used for instances wherein there is a life-threatening case.
That said, the "emergency request" that the hackers forged conveniently did not require any search warrant or subpoena that had been signed by the judge.
The Verge noted in the same story that criminal minds have increasingly been using emergency requests to obtain information from their targets.
What's more, the news outlet added that such fake requests are usually made by teenagers who are also cybercriminals.
In fact, Bloomberg reported that some cybersecurity experts are saying that the teen mastermind could be behind the fake emergency request sent to Apple and Meta.
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Written by Teejay Boris
