cfengland
Level 1 (4 points)
iCloud

Q: Why are my iMessage contact names changing?

I was on my computer last night and while I was messaging my contacts, their names began to change. For example: “Brunita” (thats my mom) went to “YourVeganMom”, Trip (dad) went to “YourVeganDad”, Meghan went to “Taymer Mason” (that’s a vegan chef), Nate went to “Rudolf Steiner” (Vegan Activist), then there was “Green Glass” - I thought a friend had hacked my computer as a joke, but as they began to change one-by-one, my mood shifted - I then changed my icloud password - Was this a hack? I have a national vegan business, so I'm guessing if so, it was targeted. Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

MacBook Pro with Retina display

Posted on Oct 3, 2016 5:33 PM

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cfengland

Q: Why are my iMessage contact names changing?

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  • by Drew Reece,

    Drew Reece Drew Reece Oct 3, 2016 5:48 PM in response to cfengland
    Level 5 (7,753 points)
    Notebooks
    Oct 3, 2016 5:48 PM in response to cfengland

    Certainly sounds like a hack. There is no explicable reason for this to be 'normal'. One possibility is that someone was editing the data on another device or service you are connected to. Examine your device to see if it is setup to use Facebook, Google or other services for contact data.

     

    Change your iCloud/ Apple ID passwords immediately. Change any other passwords for other services if you share the same password across other services.

    appleid.apple.com is where that is managed, it's best to avoid following links in email (and technically on this forum too) in case you have been phished for details.

     

    Consider enabling 2 step and/or 2 factor authentication once you are sure the services and device are secured.

    Frequently asked questions about two-step verification for Apple ID - Apple Support

    Two-factor authentication for Apple ID - Apple Support

     

    Your Apple ID probably has other more critical data connected to it so consider reporting it to your bank if you suspect your credit card need to be renewed etc. Your Apple account shouldn't reveal the full card data but it is a concern, as an attack may have originated from a different, less reliable service.