Apparently, AT&T had a virtual break-in and 114,000+ email address of owners of Apple’s new iPad 3G were captured by a group called Goatse Security.
Ryan Tate from TalkingPointsMemo.com and Gawker.com seems to think that Apple should be embarrased about this saying: “Apple has suffered another embarrassment. A security breach has exposed iPad owners including dozens of CEOs, military officials, and top politicians.” This is clearly ridiculous since the only thing Apple did was choose AT&T as the carrier of the iPhone and iPad. I’m thinking sour grapes here since Gawker is clearly on Apple’s radar now as a site to avoid like the plague.
Tony Bradley of PC World and Macworld at least puts the blame where the blame should be, on AT&T’s shoulders.
The TalkingPointsMemo.com has much better details of what happened and who did the crime.
Fortunately, the breach only exposed email addresses and not credit card information or any other more private information. Still, the fact that AT&T’s security was so bad as to allow someone to acquire the email address should be sending all kinds of alarms to Apple and other folks that AT&T needs to work on it’s security or more private data could be next.
Fortunately for me, I own a WiFi iPad so I’m not affected by this breach, but I do know some family members that have the 3G version. One that probably had his email in AT&T’s database and another that was a more recent purchase and was probably not in the DB.
Still, hopefully, Steve Jobs will see this as yet another reason to be looking at other carriers for it’s jesus devices.
