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Apple, Facebook, and Twitter hacks reportedly originated in Eastern Europe

Apple, Facebook, and Twitter hacks reportedly originated in Eastern Europe

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The recent attacks on Apple’s systems originated in Russia or Eastern Europe, and are linked to similar attacks on Facebook and Twitter, say new reports from Reuters and Bloomberg. The goal of the attacks is said to be company secrets and intellectual property to be sold on the black market, unlike the the state-sponsored attacks coming out of China, which have instead focused on government secrets and national infrastructure.

In all cases, employees’ computers were compromised after accessing the mobile developer website iphonedevsdk.com, which exploited a vulnerability in the Java browser plugin. While the precise location and nationality of the attackers is unknown, investigators have discovered at least one server in use by the criminal group in the Ukraine.