Apple is reportedly investigating possible weak spots in the iCloud after a massive celebrity hack that released hundreds of nude photos has been dubbed the ‘iCloud hack.’

iCloud Hack Responsible?

Nude photos of a group of young actresses and celebrities, including Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence and Sports Illustrated: Swimsuit Edition cover-model Kate Upton, were leaked online Sunday, Aug. 31. The original leak on 4chan claims that the photos were obtained via the iCloud – Apple’s online storage network.

The FBI released a statement saying that they are currently working with some celebrities affected by the hack, but did not say exactly where they are concentrating their efforts. “The FBI is aware of the allegations concerning computer intrusions and the unlawful release of material involving high profile individuals, and is addressing the matter,” said FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller on Monday.

Apple Releases Statement

Meanwhile, Apple has barely addressed the issue of iCloud safety, with spokeswoman Natalie Kerris simply saying, “We take user privacy very seriously and are actively investigating this report.”

Many suspect that a password flaw in the iCloud was responsible for the hack, theorizing that hackers used a ‘brute force’ program to continuously guess passwords, eventually getting the right combination of letters and breaking into a celebrity account. According to reports, the vulnerability is specifically linked to the Find My iPhone App, which did not have a limited number of log in attempts, allowing the program to run continuously.

However, the investigations are still ongoing, and it is not yet clear that the nude photo leak was a part of a bigger iCloud hack, or that Apple was at fault. Apple is reportedly working closely with celebrities and their publicists as part of their investigation.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.