FBI Probes AT&T iPad E-mail Breach
The breach occurred when a group of hackers, known as Goatse Security, exploited a security flaw on an AT&T Web application that enabled them to obtain a list of customer e-mail addresses for a personal ID, known as the ICC-ID. The ICC-ID, or integrated circuit card identifier, is associated with the SIM card and is used to specifically identify iPad and other mobile device's customers.
The FBI has contacted Gawker, which first broke the iPad breach story Wednesday, requesting that it hold onto any all related documents that would assist with investigation efforts.
Gawker reported Wednesday that the hacked data included a list of high-profile executives, celebrities and government officials, including New York Times CEO Janet Robinson, Diane Sawyer of ABC News, film mogul Harvey Weinstein and New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, as well as White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
Also included in the swiped data were e-mails connected to high ranking military and government officials. The list featured several iPad devices registered to the domain of DARPA, the advanced research division of the Department of Defense, as well as William Eldredge, who "commands the largest operation B-1 group in the U.S. Air Force," Gawker said.
While at least 114,000 e-mail addresses were compromised, Gawker said in its report that it was possible that the breach exposed e-mail data for all iPad customers.
AT&T acknowledged the breach Wednesday in a statement and confirmed that it had repaired the Web application feature that enabled Goatse hackers to run script and access the customers' e-mail addresses and ICC-IDs.
Apple has not issued any officials comments on the breach.
Meanwhile, the Federal Communications Commission echoed that it would also address the online security and privacy issues created by the Apple iPad breach, as well privacy issues from a recent breach of users' online and e-mail data exposed by Google's Street View cars, according to Reuters.
"Our Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau is now addressing cybersecurity as a high priority," said Joel Gurin, FCC chief of consumer and governmental affairs bureau, in a blog post.
The iPad breach represents the latest debacle in an already tenuous relationship between Apple and AT&T. AT&T has been Apple's sole carrier since the iPhone was launched in 2007. However, the network has been the target of most criticism from users who complain about numerous dropped calls, and consistently substandard service resulting from an overburdened network.