iTunes Accounts Hacked to Distort Ranking Figures and Make Mass Purchases

It has been reported that rogue iPhone app developers such as Thuat Nguyen have been hacking into the App store in order to increase their apps rankings making themselves 40 of the top 50 apps. Alarm bells were raised after a vast majority of book released in April by seller Thuat Nguyen had very little or no customer ratings or reviews and then mysteriously rapidly increased in ranking.

However more alarmingly, there are numerous reports flooding in of individuals iTunes accounts being hacked in order to make mass purchases of that one developer's apps. There are reports from consumers (on twitter and from reviews of the apps) of people getting billed for up to $600 worth of apps that they hadn’t paid for.

The Thuat Nguygen apps have been removed from the app store. But is that good enough? Hackers are able to easily hack into iTunes accounts and gain access to debit card details which is a serious problem for Apple and its users. The word is that this is simply the start of a widespread problem with other more sophisticated hacks already springing up.

The trend of the hack is to buy a few low cost apps and then an abnormally high one ($60/80)

Apple’s only response so far is that ‘users change their password’.

But there is more that can be done.

• Check your iTunes previous purchases. If you spot anything you haven't personally purchased contact Apple and your bank to try prevent any iTunes purchases from clearing.
• Get in contact with Apple
• Remove your iTunes card details and consider using gift cards where possible

It’s been a terrible few weeks for Apple with the iPhone reception problems and reports of IOS 4 slowing down handsets on top of these hacks. What’s interesting about recent problems with Apple is their slow and often inadequate responses. Your brand new smartphone won’t work, hold it properly then. You’ve had your iTunes account hacked and lost a $100, well change your password.

Surely it’s only a matter of time before all this bad press starts to affect sales.

Have you had any security issues with iTunes?  Leave us your comments below…

Via The Next Web