It appears that none are immune from the pervasiveness of security threats, including Apple, While the company that has long touted its immunity to the same raft of viruses that Windows and Android are routinely subject to, that doesn’t mean it is immune to the wiles of hackers.

More specifically, Apple is the latest company to see its security infrastructure fall foul of unwelcome intrusions, as its developer centre has apparently been compromised.  

In a notice on the member section of its site, Apple elaborated that an intruder attempted to secure personal information of registered developers from its developer website.

Unlike Tumblr though, which earned some egg on its face for failing to encrypt user data after a security hole was exposed, Apple explained that sensitive personal information was encrypted and could not be accessed.

However, according to the notice, the company has not ruled out the possibility that some developers’ names, mailing addresses, and/or email addresses may have been accessed.

Damage control

In response, Apple immediately took the site offline, and apparently has been “working around the clock” since the breach’s discovery on Thursday.

The site enables developers to manage their accounts and also plays host to a user forum.

“In order to prevent a security threat like this from happening again, we’re completely overhauling our developer systems, updating our server software, and rebuilding our entire database,” the company elaborated.

As has become de rigeur in the face of a security breach, Apple apologised to developers for the “significant inconvenience that the downtime has caused” and reassured that it expected to have its developer website up again “soon”.

It further promised developed developers that if their program membership was set to expire during this period, it has been extended, while their app would remain on the App Store.

To the point

If privacy is a hot topic issue right now, then no less so, judging by the raft of security compromises of late, is security. Indeed, it appears as though the old adage ‘the bigger you are, the harder you fall’ could be updated for the digital age to ‘the bigger you are, the more attractive hackers find you’. What the Tumblr security fail and this developer centre intrusion both highlight is the vulnerability that users’ personal information is actually subjected to.

More disturbing, it appears that if anything, storing one’s private data with a larger organisation only increases the chances that hackers may attempt to compromise their security, leaving your personal details in harm’s way. Caveat emptor (buyer beware).

In recent news, Apple was found guilty of colluding to ‘fix’ the prices of ebooks in its favour, losing its anti-trust case brought against it by the  Department of Justice.