WASHINGTON (TND) — All iPhone users have been warned after tech experts discovered a new cyberattack targeting Apple IDs.
In this case, it’s an Apple ID. Your Apple ID is what really unlocks your phone, and you can think of it as a master key,” said Michael Nowatkowski, director of the cyber institute at Augusta University.
Here’s how the scam works: Cybercriminals send you a text message claiming to be from Apple. They then ask you to click on a link to access an “important message” about iCloud.
“You click on a link and it takes you to what appears to be a legitimate page, but in reality it’s just something that’s been faked,” Nowatkowski said.
The fake website then asks users to provide their Apple ID details.
“That would give someone access to your contacts and payment information,” Nowatkowski said.
Ramnath Chellappa, a professor of information systems at Emory University, said you can better protect yourself by setting up two-factor authentication, which requires a password and a verification code from an external device.
“If it’s coming from another device, you’ll have to do a second level of verification before you can get into your own account,” Chellappa said.
If you are really not sure whether the message is genuine, contact the company.
“Unless you’ve actively sought something out, you shouldn’t trust any email or text message,” Chellappa said.