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May 26, 2022
Apple, Meta shared user data with hackers by responding to forged emergency information requests
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Bloomberg revealed on Thursday that Apple and Meta both handed over user data to hackers in mid-2021 when they responded to fake emergency requests that appeared to come from law enforcement.
Apple, Inc. and Meta Platforms, Inc. both received fraudulent emergency requests for user information such as address, phone number, and IP address, from hackers in the summer of 2021. Both companies responded to the requests, handing over the data before realizing the requests were not from official law enforcement organizations.
Law enforcement and intelligence organizations frequently request emergency information from social media companies to aid in active investigations and in some cases has saved lives.
While it remains unclear where the requests originated, it is suspected by officials that the now-defunct hacker group “Recursion Team” was involved, and that many members had since moved over to the active hacker group known as “Lapsus$.”
The requests appear to have come from all over the world, say investigators. Some of the requests sent to companies in 2021 by hacker groups included forged signatures of officials.
ARTICLE: LAURA SPIVAK
MANAGING EDITOR: CARSON CHOATE
PHOTO CREDITS: BLOOMBERG
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Laura is a freelance writer out of Maryland and a mom of three. Her background is in political science and international relations, and she has been doing political writing and editing for 17 years. Laura has also written parenting pieces for the Today Show and is currently working on writing a collection of remarkable true stories about normal people. She writes for FBA because unbiased news is vital to unity, and readers deserve the facts free of opinion.
