Q: iPhone 6s hacked this morning
My iPhone 6s was hacked this morning, while I was using it. It suddenly went to the lock screen of its own accord, and a message in what looks like phonetic Russian was displayed along with an email address of appleforgot03 at gmail dot com. Swiping right requires me to input my security code, which I wasn't about to do. I put it in airplane mode, immediately changed my Apple password, and am now in the process of factory resetting it (I live in a rural area of NE Scotland and it will take an estimated 4 hours to download the required software update). How does this happen? I have not downloaded any apps from anywhere other than the Apple App Store, my iPhone is not jailbroken and was bought brand new last November from Three.co.uk. Two days ago I signed up on the Apple site to beta test the latest iOs release for iPhone - I've beta tested a few OS and used the official sign-up site, using my own iTunes account, etc. The only time I was on an unknown wifi connection in recent weeks was at the Apple Store at Union Square mall in Aberdeen, Scotland, which I used for a short time to backup my iPhone to iCloud while I was in the store. It didn't finish. If the factory reset doesn't work I'll have to take it in to the Genius Bar. I just want to point out this is not a jailbroken phone, and yet someone managed to hack it. Clearly there is a security flaw *somewhere* here.
iPhone 6s, iOS 9.3.2
Posted on Jun 21, 2016 1:04 AM
Glad you got your account back. If you have not already setup your account with the advanced security options that Apple offers, I suggest looking into Two-Factor Authentication. What was essentially hacked was not specifically your hardware, but your iCloud account. You were right to update this.
Two-factor authentication for Apple ID - Apple Support
Also be wary of phishing emails as this is one of the most common ways for attackers to learn your login information. If you visit https://iforgot.apple.com/ and follow the prompts to reset your Apple ID password, you will learn that a standard account uses date of birth and security questions as protection. If someone learns these things, your account is no longer secure. The majority of time, these details are learned through phishing attempts through email, text message, or even just searching for the information online about a person on Facebook for example.
Posted on Jun 21, 2016 8:57 AM