According to recent research, hackers can remotely lock Mac and iPhone devices using iCloud's "Find My iPhone" with the aim of extorting money.
Several Mac users have reported this week on their Twitter accounts that their computers have been locked and they see a message on the screen asking them to pay a certain amount in Bitcoins if they wish to receive the device's unlock code.
But how did this happen? It seems to be due to one of the recent breaches (e.g. Equifax hack) that exposed the passwords and emails of millions of users. So anyone who managed to get their hands on this evidence can log in to iCloud and remotely lock your Mac or iPhone device.
The worst part is that even though you may have two-factor authentication enabled, hackers can bypass this security measure and lock your device by clicking on the “Find My iPhone” feature.
So what do you do to protect yourself?
First, on your iPhone, turn off Find My iPhone by going to Settings and entering your passcode. On your Mac, turn it off in System Preferences.
The second step you should take to protect your iCloud account and therefore your iPhone and Mac device is to immediately change your Apple ID password. Create a new one, longer and more difficult this time.
Finally, don't forget to enable two-factor authentication, if you haven't already.
Stay safe!
