Apple users reporting their iTunes accounts have been hacked and they are on the hook for up to hundreds of dollars of gift cards and in-app purchases.
"I was hacked today for almost $50 in Apple gift card money. First someone gained access to my account and 'downloaded' the free Kingdom Conquest app at 2:45 a.m. when I was asleep, and then bought almost $50 worth of In App Purchases from SEGA Corporation. SEGA says I should complain to Apple and ask for a refund. Apple says it's not responsible for In App purchases," said one Apple user according to the Global Mail.
CNET reported that some users have received refunds, but there's been no reason given why the hackings have appeared or if there's any resolution to the matter.
"Apple takes precautions to safeguard your personal information against loss, theft, and misuse, as well as against unauthorized access, disclosure, alteration, and destruction," Apple said in a statement. "Apple online services such as the Apple Online Store and iTunes Store use Secure Sockets Layer encryption on all Web pages where personal information is collected."
Apple's iTunes accounts have been susceptible to hackers for a while, with users complaining for the last year about accounts accessed without permission.
Ty Miller, chief technology officer at security firm Pure Hacking,
told AppleInsider that it's likely Apple has decided that refunds are more cost effective than fixing the system.
"Either Apple has accepted the risk of the fraudulent transactions and they're happy to reimburse the money because it may cost a lot more to fix then they're actually losing. [Or] there is an inherent flaw in the way they have created the gift card numbers and it would take a serious overhaul of their systems to change how that actually works," Miller said.
So keep that in mind as you download in the iTunes store -- and maybe make your password a little tougher.
