iTunes AppStore Hacked ☀

What a lovely Independence Day surprise: global iTunes accounts have been compromised and used to purchase up to $600 worth of AppStore apps per account. Initially the suspicious activity pointed towards one specific developer, but has since spread to multiple developers, multiple iTunes accounts and more than the US iTunes store. The Next Web has a detailed list of the facts surrounding this breach.

  • A number of iTunes have been account from across the globe, not just the US, and used to purchase apps.
  • iTunes users have reported anywhere between $100-$1400 spent using their accounts.
  • Many of the apps have been purchased to specifically climb up the iTunes ranking to gain momentum in the hope that others will purchase the apps based on their high sales.
  • Currently all the app purchased have been owned by Asia based developers with little information known about them. Clearly they feel being based in Asia will give them immunity to any US laws.
  • The developers website and support links direct users to non-existent websites or landing pages.
  • The initial rogue developer’s have now been removed from the app store but other unethical developers still have their accounts available in the app store – details on those to come.

Check your iTunes purchase history and/or your online banking access to determine if your account has been compromised in this security breach. If it has, I suggest immediately contacting Apple’s iTunes customer service and your bank to dispute the charges, so that you may recover any potentially lost funds as a result of this incident.

It is not really known how widespread this security breach is, or what vector was used to facilitate the hack. The initial hack by Vietnamese developer “Thuat Nguyen” that was reported all over the blogosphere may have lead to discussion about entirely unrelated security incidents.

At this point nobody knows exactly what is going on or how all the breaches are tied together. Be on the lookout for additional information once it becomes available. In the meantime, check out your purchase history to ensure your account was not used in the breach.

iPhone Sorely Needs Better App Management

iPhone Home PageThe upcoming release of iPhone OS 3.0 and all the talk of potential new hardware seemingly dominates Apple news these days. Everyone seems pretty stoked about the improved operating system, especially the long awaited push notification system and the potential inclusion of background tasks. New hardware, better battery life and an improved operating system is all fine and dandy but overlooks an important outstanding issue Apple has not acknowledged. One thing missing from the conversations is improved app management, a nightmare in dire need of elegant solution.

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iPhone ‘Satellite’ Radio

radio debianWelcome to the world connected. Apple’s iPhone stands poised to reinvent radio as we know it.

We’re all aware that Apple produces preeminent software and hardware platforms — especially notable when they brought us the iPhone.

Leaps ahead of its nearest competitor — with Star Trek-like touch screen technology and multi-vendor app integration — the iPhone is ready to see yet another serious debut in the form of a popular world media. Satellite radio.

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Don’t Be a Dumbass – DRM-free Tracks from Apple Should Not Be Shared on P2P Networks

DRM Revolution 03Apple recently announced that it has finally decided to move in to the DRM-free era by shattering the shackles off of all music sold at the iTunes Music Store. No longer will music purchased through iTunes be locked to the previously instituted 5-computer limit nor will there be restrictions on CD burning. One important aspect that has not, and will not, change is the use of watermarking to essentially “tie” the files to a particular consumer. Do not think that because the music files no longer contain DRM that you can up and hop on Limewire and start sharing these tracks with the world.

Don’t be that dumbass who ends up sharing their legally purchased but watermarked DRM-free tracks. This will do nothing but place you in the crosshairs of the high-paid legal guns the recording industry has no qualms wielding.

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iTunes DRM-Free, Legal Purchasers Get Shafted

iTunes Screenshot Today at Macworld Expo, during the keynote by Apple Senior Vice President of Worldwide Product Marketing, Philip Schiller, Apple announced the end of the DRM era – all tracks available in iTunes will be available solely as iTunes Plus songs. What this means for consumers is that Apple now will be offering high-quality, 256-Kbps AAC encoded files which no longer have restrictions on CD burning or the amount of computers on which the music can be played.

Beginning today, all four major music labels — Universal Music Group, Sony BMG, Warner Music Group and EMI — and thousands of independent labels, now offer their music in the DRM-free iTunes Plus format with higher-quality 256 kbps AAC encoding. iTunes customers can also now purchase and download songs directly onto their iPhone 3G over their 3G network — just as they do with Wi-Fi today — for the same price as downloading to their computer. And in April, based on what the music labels charge Apple, songs on iTunes will be available for 69¢, 99¢, or $1.29, with most albums still priced at $9.99.

Unfortunately, if you have ever purchased DRM-encumbered tracks from Apple, you are going to get the shaft should you desire to remove the DRM from your existing purchases!

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