iTunes AppStore Hacked: Hacker/App Developer Used Stolen iTunes Accounts to Buy Apps
Apple’s AppStore was recently hacked by an Asian hacker, allegedly. Two keen-eyed app developers spotted a suspicious occurrence in the iTunes Market this week. They noticed that the Top Books Paid Software category on iTunes Market is being dominated by books created by just one Asian developer named Thuat Nguyen. The Top Books lists 50 of the best-selling book apps on iTunes and suspiciously Thuat Nguyen owns 40 of them! Not even Twilight books are in the top 10 and it’s the hottest trend in the world today with the release of the Twilight: Eclipse movie – which is already breaking box-office records.
The Top 40 Best-Selling Paid Books on iTunes Were Created by a Hacker
Thuat Nguyen’s modus operandi seemed to have started last April and it’s only now that other people noticed his nefarious activities. The two developers who spotted his criminal behavior on the iTunes Market immediately notified Apple officials. Their suspicions were confirmed when Apple took down all of Thuat Nguyen’s paid books yesterday. Security experts are saying Nguyen may have likely stolen other people’s iTunes accounts and used them to purchase his paid books. Some iTunes Market users have reported they have been charged up to $600 buying Vietnamese books!
It is not yet known if Thuat Nguyen is the real name of the rogue app developer or if he is even of Vietnamese origin. What is certain is that he managed to sell a lot of his paid books, the 40 best-selling books on iTunes are all his, under impossible circumstances which clearly points to hacking. While Apple has yet to make an official announcement about this case, I myself already believe that the iTunes Market had suffered a disastrous security breach. I doubt if Thuat Nguyen is the only guy who was involved in this scam. Hackers always work with a team, Cyber-thieves shares exploits with their fellow hackers so they can steal more in the shortest amount of time before their target system’s administrators catch on.
Please check your iTunes account and see if you bought any of Thuat Nguyen’s books the past 3 months. Check also if there are charges there that you don’t remember ever buying. Apple officials should seriously investigate this case because I fear there are other Thuat Nguyens out there who already may have stolen other legitimate iTunes accounts.
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