Apple admit hackers got to employee computers

Apple said yesterday that some of their employees Macintosh computers were attacked by hackers. The admission by the company is unusual and highlights that the ‘once impervious' Macintosh computer is also vulnerable to malicious code.

Apple admitted that a ‘small number' of computers became infected after employees visited a website for software developers which passed over malicious code, infecting the machines. Apple added that they will be releasing a software update to protect their users against this flaw and is working with law enforcement agencies to find the source of the malware.

Apple are not known to announce attacks like this, issuing reports instead on their support page regarding vulnerabilities and software updates to fix the issues.

Apple have highlighted their security now for years, highlighting OSX security and that they were very resistant to malicious code. Hackers however have been refocusing their efforts on the platform, which shows the growing popularity of the computers among the public.

The malicious code is said to be the same which was discovered by Facebook, who said on Friday their employee's computers were attacked by hackers last month. Both Apple and Facebook have said that no data was stolen.

The Wall Street Journal add “The companies played down the impact of the attacks on their operations, and Apple and Facebook said no data appeared to have been stolen. But the events underscore the vulnerability of some of the world's most sophisticated technology companies to an ever-changing array of attacks, with outside experts increasingly tracing the break-ins in the U.S. to foreign countries.

Twitter Inc., the popular microblogging site, earlier this month said it had been the victim of an attack that may have granted hackers access to information including usernames and email addresses for about 250,000 of its users.

Motivations of the attackers seem to be proliferating. In the case of technology companies, people rummaging through their computer networks seem to be searching for product-development plans and other intellectual property.

At government institutions, reported targets include information about intelligence-gathering and weapons systems. In other cases, intruders have looked for information about critical pieces of U.S. infrastructure, such as electricity and energy distribution networks.”

Kitguru says: An embarrassing admission for Apple, but it shows their computers are getting more popular, which draws the attention of more malicious coders.

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