Yesterday, a hacker group AntiSec publicly posted a million Apple UDIDs (Universal Device IDs), which the group claimed were stolen from an FBI laptop (yes, the FBI). The group also allegedly has 12 million of these device IDs, some of which supposedly are tied to consumers' personal data--including cell phone numbers, addresses, and usernames. In other words, it's a major privacy and security hack. Here's what you need to know.
The leaked UDIDs identify Apple devices uniquely. But on their own, they don't really pose a threat. It's unclear what hackers could do with those stolen UDIDs.
On the other hand, if the hackers also got some users' personal information tied to the UDIDs, then there's the threat of identify theft and other kinds of security attacks.
You should check to find out if your device was one of those leaked:
First you'll need to find your UDID:
- Plug your Apple device (iPhone, iPad, or iPod) into your computer
- Open iTunes
- Click in the left bar on your device name to open it
- Look in the right panel for the serial number
- Click on the serial number to get the UDID
Then use an online tool like the one?offered by LastPass or search the Pastebin file AntiSec released for your UDID.
If yours was leaked, you might want to sign up for identity theft protection or credit monitoring service. Both LastPass and Credit Karma offer these services for free.
The FBI is denying the UDIDs were taken from an FBI laptop and that the agency never even gathered this information. It's entirely unclear why the FBI would even have it. Still, whether or not AntiSec hackers lied, this is a good reminder for us all to brush up on our?mobile and laptop security practices.
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