Apple admits to being hacked by same group that recently hit Facebook

Apple, manufacturer of the iPhone and iPad, has admitted it has been hacked, it has been reported. The attack is said to have been made by the same group which recently hit Facebook.

The Californian technology giant said some of its employees’ computers were breached and it is now helping law enforcement authorities identify the people behind it. Apple told Reuters that there was no evidence any data was stolen.

Last Friday, Facebook said that some of its computers were infiltrated by a sophisticated attack by hackers traced back to China. It too said it believed no data was stolen and the machines were quarantined and cleaned.

Apple said it would release a software tool tomorrow to protect customers against the malicious software used in the attacks.

America is upping its efforts in the so-called hacking war and a former US military advisor recently said that President Barack Obama should pardon Gary McKinnon in a bid to attract more “master hackers” to its ranks.

John Arquilla, who was an advisor to former American Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, said earlier this month: “One presidential act of mercy, such as in the case of McKinnon, won’t entirely repair relations or build trust between hackers and the government, but it would be a strong signal of officialdom’s growing awareness of the wisdom of embracing and employing the skills of these masters of their virtual domain.”