AT&T security flaw reveals 114,000 iPad owners’ details

 

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Posted on 11 Jun 2010 at 17:34

US mobile network AT&T has said that a network security flaw has revealed 114,000 iPad owners’ email addresses.

The network provider apologised for the breach and said it would inform any customers affected by the breach. It first learned of the flaw on Monday and has since corrected it.

“This issue was escalated to the highest levels of the company and was corrected by Tuesday; and we have essentially turned off the feature that provided the email addresses,” said a company spokesperson in a statement to Reuters.

The breach was first revealed at Gawker, who said it was given a list of email addresses by a group of hackers who called itself Goatse Security. Gawker said that the list contained more than 100,000 email addresses, which included celebrities, politicians and high level executives.

AT&T has an exclusive deal with Apple, giving it sole rights to providing network coverage for the iPhone and iPad. The network provider has come under heavy criticism for its poor network coverage and data speeds on the iPhone ever since it was launched in 2007, and the security breach may add fuel to that fire.

The FBI said yesterday that it is investigating the breach. “The FBI is aware of these possible computer intrusions and has opened an investigation to address the potential cyber threat,” said FBI spokesperson Jack Pack.

Experts have downplayed the severity of the breach, though, saying that the iPad’s security hasn’t been compromised.

“I would guess that this application vulnerability gained so much attention because, after all, it is Apple we are talking about,” wrote McAfee chief technology officer George Kurtz in a blog post. “The hype around Apple products – like the new iPhone and iPad – is amazing. However, the reality is this type of vulnerability isn’t really news and happens all day long.”

The iPad has sold more than two million units since its launch in April.

Author: Tim Smalley