{"id":87425,"date":"2025-02-14T09:35:08","date_gmt":"2025-02-14T09:35:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/peraltafinancing.com\/apple-2\/what-to-do-if-your-apple-id-has-been-hacked\/"},"modified":"2025-02-14T09:35:08","modified_gmt":"2025-02-14T09:35:08","slug":"what-to-do-if-your-apple-id-has-been-hacked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fivemor.com\/?p=87425","title":{"rendered":"What to do if your Apple ID has been hacked"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Apple IDs are a popular target for hackers. This is not only because Apple devices have become so popular, but also because Apple IDs typically provide purchasing power. With an Apple ID, a hacker can purchase music and movies in the iTunes Store or apps in the iOS App Store or Mac App Store on someone else\u2019s\u00a0dime.\u00a0Typical symptoms of an Apple ID hack are a sudden inability to log in or strange purchases showing up in your purchase history or on your iOS device. So what do you do if you believe your Apple ID has been hacked?<\/p>\n

Effects and Causes<\/h2>\n

Before discussing how to undo the hack, it\u2019s critically important to understand why\u00a0dealing with a hacked Apple ID must be done quickly. I\u2019ve seen people who have allowed their Apple IDs to remain hacked for months before bothering to do anything about it. This allows the hacker to continue making purchases with your Apple ID, sending e-mail messages or iMessages as you, accessing your iCloud data, etc. However, there\u2019s an additional problem that most people are either unaware of or don\u2019t think about.<\/p>\n

The anti-theft features of Mac and iOS devices involve your Apple ID, and can be abused by someone with access to your Apple ID. Your Apple ID could be used to remotely erase your Mac or iOS devices, which could be a disaster if you don\u2019t maintain a good set of\u00a0backups. Worse, in iOS 7, your Apple ID can be used to lock your iOS device in a way that cannot be bypassed \u2013 even by erasing the iOS device \u2013 without access to the Apple ID. If the hacker manages to permanently lock you out of your Apple ID, which can be done in a 3-day period using two-factor verification (more on this shortly), then he\/she can then\u00a0permanently<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0lock your iOS 7 devices!<\/p>\n

In other words, if you believe your Apple ID has been hacked, you need to respond quickly and decisively to regain access and lock the hacker out. Failing to do so could cause you to lose all purchases made with your Apple ID, lose all your data and even turn your iOS 7 devices into expensive paperweights!<\/p>\n

The first thing most people want to do is scan for viruses, but there is actually little\u00a0point to doing that. On the Mac, there is very little malware out there, and I\u2019ve never heard of a single confirmed case of an Apple ID being stolen through an infected Mac. On iOS devices (ie, iPads, iPhones and iPod Touches), there is no known malware capable of affecting them unless they have been jailbroken (ie, hacked to disable security in order to download\u00a0apps from outside the App Store). Further, due to the security features that prevent malware, there is also no anti-virus software capable of scanning an iOS device. If you are using your Apple ID on a Windows machine, keyloggers are possible, but that\u2019s a matter for your Windows anti-virus software and your local Windows tech.<\/p>\n

Apple IDs are typically hacked through other means. Some (though certainly not all) possibilities are:<\/p>\n