Bloomberg reports hackers obtained user data from Apple and Meta

In mid-2021, Apple and Meta handed user data to hackers posing as law enforcement officers. пишет Bloomberg.

According to the agency, in response to fake “emergency requests,” the companies provided the attackers with actual addresses, phone numbers and users’ IP addresses.

Such information is typically provided on the basis of a search warrant or subpoena, but no additional documents are needed for emergency requests. The extent of data the companies handed over in response to the forged requests is unknown.

Representatives from Apple and Meta said they review each request in accordance with the companies’ guidelines.

A similar request was received by Discord’s administration and was carried out.

“While our verification confirmed the legitimacy of the law enforcement e-mail, we later learned that it had been compromised by a hacker. We conducted an investigation and notified authorities of the incident,” Discord said in a statement.

The hackers also contacted Snap, the owner of Snapchat, but there is no evidence that it handed over user data.

Security experts suspect that the scheme’s operators may be minors from the United States and the United Kingdom. One of the suspects is considered the mastermind of the cybercriminal group Lapsus$.

For their requests, the attackers used real domain names of law enforcement agencies worldwide and forged signatures of real officers. Such data can be bought on the dark web for between $10 and $50.

The hackers could use the obtained data to stalk and commit financial fraud.

According to sources, the forged requests are part of a campaign aimed at tech firms that began as early as January 2021.

As reported in 2021, the largest US cryptocurrency exchange Coinbase first received requests to disclose information about users from Russian state and law enforcement authorities.