Apple claims it found no security leak in iCloud

Apple announces that after more than 40 hours of investigation into the large-scale leak of celebrity nude pictures (aka The Fappening), the company did not find any evidence that the leak was related to a security breach in iCloud or Find my iPhone. The company claims certain celebrity accounts were compromised via a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions. Apple suggest to use a strong password and enable two-step verification to protect against this type of attack.

We wanted to provide an update to our investigation into the theft of photos of certain celebrities. When we learned of the theft, we were outraged and immediately mobilized Apple’s engineers to discover the source. Our customers’ privacy and security are of utmost importance to us. After more than 40 hours of investigation, we have discovered that certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that has become all too common on the Internet. None of the cases we have investigated has resulted from any breach in any of Apple’s systems including iCloud® or Find my iPhone. We are continuing to work with law enforcement to help identify the criminals involved.

To protect against this type of attack, we advise all users to always use a strong password and enable two-step verification. Both of these are addressed on our website at http://support.apple.com/kb/ht4232.