iPad FAQs: Nagging Questions About the AT&T Security Breach

Posted Dec 27, 2010 at 8:15AM EST by QJ Staff

Listed in: iPad FAQs Tags: 3G, email, goatse security, news

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Q. How do I know if I was one of the people affected by the breach? A. In short, you don’t. Although the figure of 114,000 people has been mooted, this has not been confirmed as the limit of the beach. Theoretically this could be a very conservative estimate, with the damage being widespread. Some celebrity names have been associated with this hack, including Diane Sawyer, Michael Bloomberg, Rahm Emmanuel and Harvey Weinstein. However, unless you're a celebrity it is unlikely that you will ever find out if your personal details have been compromised. Q. What has happened to the leaked information and should I be worried? A. There is always a worry about leaked information, especially when the leak involves personal data. According to Goatse Security, its motives were completely benign in exposing the weaknesses in iPad security, and as such have not profited or compromised personal data in any way. In a statement made to Gawker.com, Goatse Security stated: “This disclosure needed to be made. iPad 3G users had the right to know that their email addresses were potentially public knowledge so they could take steps to mitigate the issue (like changing their email address). This was done in service of the American public. Do you really think corporate privacy breaches should stay indefinitely secret?” Q. How does this leak affect my email accounts? A. According to Goatse, passwords were not obtained, only email addresses. In a worse case scenario this could mean that your email accounts are susceptible to increased spam. If you are in any doubt about the security of you email accounts, the simplest solution is to create a new email address. This, of course, can be a real pain in the neck informing all you contacts of the change. Q. What will be the long-term effect of this hack? A. The odds are that iPad users won’t be affected at all. It is AT&T that will suffer the most, as holes in its security systems are exposed. This will be particularly worrying for them as the 3G market is opened up further by Apple.

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