Apple iCloud Hack: 'Obvious' Security Flaw Patched After New Year's Day Disclosure

Apple ID holders with two-step verification enabled may see a few more padlocks on their iCloud screen. Screenshot/Apple

This time Apple acted fast. The tech giant has fixed a security flaw that targeted iCloud customers who used common Internet passwords. Known as iDict, the hacking tool was released on New Year’s Day and patched days later, a quick turnaround that comes after Cupertino was criticized for doing too little to prevent last year’s attack on the iCloud accounts of a number of female celebrities.

Apple enhances security features in iCloud

With just days to go before the highly anticipated iPhone 6 announcement, Apple has carefully threaded the needle in its public responses to compromised celebrity accounts, resulting in a deluge of stolen photos being distributed all over the internet.

Apple has stated that its iCloud servers were not compromised, but it has indicated that some accounts may have not been adequately protected, such as, weak passwords and easy security questions. CEO Tim Cook further widened the blame blanket that some account holders might have fallen for a phishing scam.

Apple’s iCloud allegedly breached in celebrity photo theft

During what is a long holiday weekend in the United States, an anonymous hacker claims to have successfully hacked Apple iCloud and its Photo Stream feature of nearly 100 celebrity accounts and place several photos on 4chan.

Celebrity photos are nothing new, and risqué photos of attractive female actresses is also not new, but was probably a large part of what made this a big story. What added to the headlines was the