Apple reportedly handed user data to a hacking organisation. The data was purportedly supplied by the corporation after the gang was able to fabricate legal petitions for the information.
According to Bloomberg, three people close to the investigation gave specifics about this episode, which was part of a 2021 social engineering fraud. The hackers allegedly impersonated law enforcement officers and were able to persuade the Cupertino-based company's workers to share information about its clients' addresses, phone numbers, and IP addresses. They were able to obtain this information by presenting a falsified "emergency data requests" document.
For those who are unaware, the iPhone maker typically reveals such information to officials only when a search warrant or subpoena from a court is granted. This does not apply to emergency requests, which are understood to be utilised solely in circumstances of impending danger. Unfortunately, Apple has yet to clarify whether it provided the data with the hacking organisations and, when asked to comment on the situation, linked Bloomberg to its law enforcement standards.
Similarly, it looks that Meta, Facebook's parent firm, was in a similar scenario. The tech behemoth also reportedly gave the same hacking group with user data, after which they stated that they are cooperating with law authorities on the suspected fraudulent requests. The information obtained from the two companies could be used for malicious purposes, such as targeted harassment campaigns or financial fraud schemes.
