Apple Confirms Some Celeb Accounts Were Breached in Nude Photo ScandalThe tech giant has broken its silence regarding its probe into the mass leak of naked celebrity images by cyber criminals. Here are the latest developments.

ByKim Lachance Shandrow

Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.

Apple has just admitted that "certain" celebrity accounts were indeed compromised, resulting in a massive leak of private naked photos belonging to up to 100 high-profile entertainers and models, including Jennifer Lawrence, Rihanna and Kate Upton.

Following a 40-hour probe, the iconic Cupertino, Calif. tech giant said in anofficial statementposted online moments ago that the attacks were on individual Apple accounts andwere deliberate. However, they were not a result of breaches to iCloud or Find my iPhone, despite earlierreports.

Apple, of course, isn't revealing which particular celebrities were burned by hackers. Meanwhile, the search for the criminals behind the attacks continues.

Related:Why the Naked Celeb iCloud Hack Should Make You Nervous

Here is the complete statement from Apple:

We wanted to provide an update to our investigation into the theft of photos of certain celebrities. When we learned of the theft, we were outraged and immediately mobilized Apple's engineers to discover the source. Our customers' privacy and security are of utmost importance to us. After more than 40 hours of investigation, we have discovered that certain celebrity accounts were compromised by a very targeted attack on user names, passwords and security questions, a practice that has become all too common on the Internet. None of the cases we have investigated has resulted from any breach in any of Apple's systems including iCloud® or Find my iPhone. We are continuing to work with law enforcement to help identify the criminals involved.

To protect against this type of attack, we advise all users to always use a strong password and enable two-step verification. Both of these are addressed on our website athttp://support.apple.com/kb/ht4232.

注意,虽然迅速驳回索赔that widely reported vulnerabilities to iCloud and Find my iPhone were not to blame for the leaks, Apple is still cautioning its users to carefully password protect their Apple accounts and to turn on two-step verification. Better to be safe than sorry in front of the whole Internet. Forever.

Related:After Reportedly Blowing Up iPhones, Apple Plans to Make a Bigger iPad

Wavy Line
Kim Lachance Shandrow

Former West Coast Editor

Kim Lachance Shandrow is the former West Coast editor at Entrepreneur.com. Previously, she was a commerce columnist atLos Angeles CityBeat,a news producer at MSNBC and KNBC in Los Angeles and a frequent contributor to theLos Angeles Times. She has also written forGovernment Technologymagazine,LA Yogamagazine, theLowell Sunnewspaper, HealthCentral.com, PsychCentral.com and the former U.S. Surgeon General, Dr. C. Everett Coop. Follow her on Twitter at@Lashandrow. You can also follow her on Facebookhere.

Editor's Pick

Related Topics

Business Ideas

55 Small Business Ideas to Start in 2023

We put together a list of the best, most profitable small business ideas for entrepreneurs to pursue in 2023.

Business News

Netflix is Hiring an AI-Focused Role—and the Starting Salary is up to $900,000

The streaming giant is looking for a leader in its machine learning department.

Data & Recovery

This $20 Training Bundle Could Help Your Freelance IT Business Grow

Hone your cybersecurity chops with this training bundle.

Growing a Business

Senior Executives Are Falling Behind The Digital Curve — Here's What It Takes to Stay Ahead.

Learn how to stay ahead of the digital curve with the top areas of digital transformation that all corporate leaders should know.