Switched has a new home! Huffpost Tech.

Click here to visit the new home of Switched!

Hot on HuffPost Tech:

See More Stories
AOL Tech

FBI Investigates iPad Security Breach, Goatse Security Defends Itself

by Amar Toor on June 11, 2010 at 10:40 AM

magnifying glass and ipadJust two days after a group of hackers successfully swiped personal information from over 114,000 of AT&T's iPad users, the New York Times is reporting that the FBI has stepped in to investigate. Jason Pack, a supervisory special agent from the Bureau's new media office, says, "The F.B.I. is aware of these possible computer intrusions and has opened an investigation to address the potential cyberthreat." Considering the kinds of high-level officials that were targeted in the attack, it's not surprising that the FBI would take such a keen interest in the matter. White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel was among those whose e-mail addresses and ID numbers were leaked, along with New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and top executives from both the Department of Homeland Security and the Justice Department.

One member of Goatse Security, the company that reportedly pulled off the heist, recently wrote a detailed blog post to clarify things, and, as Gawker reports, to defend the group's actions. The author claims that Goatse, contrary to previous reports, never contacted AT&T directly about the hole in its security system, but "made sure that someone else tipped them off." The representative also insists that all private information was destroyed shortly after the company obtained it, and that Goatse was not compensated by Gawker for providing copies of the data (a claim that Gawker corroborates).

If anything, Goatse seems to believe it has done every iPad 3G owner a huge favor. And, if its intentions are pure, it's probably right. "This disclosure needed to be made," the author argues. "This was done in service of the American public. Do you really think corporate privacy breaches should stay indefinitely secret? I don't...Your iPads are safer now because of us." [From: Gawker and New York Times and Goatse Security]

Tags: apple, ATT, breach, criminal, cybersecurity, fbi, gawker, GoatseSecurity, hack, investigation, ipad, ipad breach, Ipad3g, IpadBreach, privacy, security, top

HuffPost AOL Social News Most Popular