Apple Compensates Victim of iMessage Bug for Breach of Privacy

[9Speed]

Originally Posted by IbisDoc

An iPod touch for all of that? LOL, the spirit of Steve Jobs is alive and well.

There are plenty of anecdotes from people getting free Apple computers/iPods/iPads etc for silly or whimsical reasons while SJ was alive. For example, the guy that returned the iPad 2 because "Wife said 'No'" and got it back for free with the note "Apple says 'Yes'".

[ski1ski1]

Originally Posted by Swift

Apple was in good faith. This was new software with an unanticipated outcome in a particular circumstance. The software honchos got in touch with her. They delivered the fix. It took awhile.

The fix is still not in place! Does this mean you need to contact Apple for them to send this special code to the phone ? This should be an option somewhere on iTunes or iCloud.

[Mwongozi]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

Apple claimed it would give her a device with which to receive iMessages.

The irony. IT BURNS.

[samcraig]

Whether the phone is activated on the network is irrelevant if there's also WIFI. I bought a new phone. My iPhone4 is next to me with a SIM that is no longer valid. I'm still getting iMessages that were tied to my phone number.

Meaning - my new phone (albeit with a new SIM) is the same #. When someone on an iPhone sends me a txt - it doesn't come to my new phone with my regular # - it still goes to the iPhone as an iMessage. Found that out today while waiting for a friend to respond. In other words - I missed the message because it didn't come to my new phone as a regular text.

Clearly I'll be turning off iMessage on my iPhone4 which will no longer be my phone.

[danahn17]

Just an iPod Touch as compensation? I would have pressed for a lot more.

My privacy >>> iPod Touch.

[ladeer]

Originally Posted by acfusion29

still not making sense.

if i text you at 123-456-7890, then it CAN'T (physically cannot) go to your stolen phone as the sim card is not in that phone

It can still go to the stolen phone. This is why:

When you send a text to 123-456-7890 via iMessage, Apple server looks up in its database for the number 123-456-7890, and find that 123-456-7890 is associated to a phone that has iMessage service.

At this point, the background color of your "Send" button on your iMessage turns from Green to Blue, indicating that when you press it, it will go out as a internet message using data, NOT a SMS text using cellular network.

iMessage then send your text as an internet message (not SMS), via Apple's server, to the iMessage application on the phone with 123-456-7890's account. However, in Apple's database, it keeps data for which device the number 123-456-7890 is associated with, NOT presently which phone has the 123-456-7890 sim card. While they often are the same phone, it wouldn't be in the case of a sim card removal.

Apple presumably set it up this way so iMessage can (and really should) work SIM card-agnostic. In other words, if you want to remove the SIM card from your phone, you expect it to still work over wifi. Let's say, if you go to a foreign country and you replace your SIM card with a local sim card, you still expect your iMessage to arrive in your phone via the internet. This is why it's important to not associate iMessage account to a phone number, but merely using the phone number as one of the two account name identifiers (the other one being the email address).


Now, let's say there is another number, 555-555-5555 that is a Samsung phone that can only receive SMS.

When you send a message to 555-555-5555 using iMessage, iMessage will again verifies against Apple server whether 555-555-5555 is associated with an iMessage account. Since it doesn't find it, then your text remains "Green" color, and will send as a regular SMS.

[jayeatworld]

I don't see the difference between this and getting your laptop stolen with all your passwords saved for your IM clients.

You don't go around complaining to the manufacturer of the laptop or the IM services.

[craznar]

Originally Posted by jayeatworld

I don't see the difference between this and getting your laptop stolen with all your passwords saved for your IM clients.

You don't go around complaining to the manufacturer of the laptop or the IM services.

You do if the laptop still receives your IM messages - AFTER it has been completely formatted and wiped.

Like the iPhone does with iMessage.

[C DM]

Originally Posted by jayeatworld

I don't see the difference between this and getting your laptop stolen with all your passwords saved for your IM clients.

You don't go around complaining to the manufacturer of the laptop or the IM services.

Probably because you can change the passwords for those IM accounts and that would do the trick. In this case that doesn't seem to be an option, or at least not an option that worked in this case. Certainly Apple is at some sort of fault for not providing a fully working system that deals with fairly private data that is entrusted to them.

[ixodes]

Apple needs to grow up & get serious. If this is the best they can do, they've really sunk to new lows. Proving once again the public will believe anything Apple says, and still buy iToyz...

[samcraig]

Apple simply needs to implement an online tool to deactivate iMessage on their server. Or - when you turn it OFF on the phone, it wipes it from their service "forcing" you to have to re-activate when you click it back on

[Detrius]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A405 Safari/7534.48.3)

If their servers could keep sending iMessages after a remote wipe, why couldn't their servers locate the stolen phone?

[acfusion29]

Originally Posted by ladeer

It can still go to the stolen phone. This is why:

When you send a text to 123-456-7890 via iMessage, Apple server looks up in its database for the number 123-456-7890, and find that 123-456-7890 is associated to a phone that has iMessage service.

At this point, the background color of your "Send" button on your iMessage turns from Green to Blue, indicating that when you press it, it will go out as a internet message using data, NOT a SMS text using cellular network.

iMessage then send your text as an internet message (not SMS), via Apple's server, to the iMessage application on the phone with 123-456-7890's account. However, in Apple's database, it keeps data for which device the number 123-456-7890 is associated with, NOT presently which phone has the 123-456-7890 sim card. While they often are the same phone, it wouldn't be in the case of a sim card removal.

Apple presumably set it up this way so iMessage can (and really should) work SIM card-agnostic. In other words, if you want to remove the SIM card from your phone, you expect it to still work over wifi. Let's say, if you go to a foreign country and you replace your SIM card with a local sim card, you still expect your iMessage to arrive in your phone via the internet. This is why it's important to not associate iMessage account to a phone number, but merely using the phone number as one of the two account name identifiers (the other one being the email address).


Now, let's say there is another number, 555-555-5555 that is a Samsung phone that can only receive SMS.

When you send a message to 555-555-5555 using iMessage, iMessage will again verifies against Apple server whether 555-555-5555 is associated with an iMessage account. Since it doesn't find it, then your text remains "Green" color, and will send as a regular SMS.

okay i think i understand.

it would have been easier to just make iMessage a separate app imo. i had to turn off "send as SMS" because i send iM's to people in another country and if send as SMS is enabled, then i'll be charged $0.75 when the person is not available and it automatically sends as a text.

IMO, Apple really didn't think this one through.

[Rodimus Prime]

Originally Posted by BanterClaus

This needs fixing. A simple option on iCloud.com to unlink devices from your iMessages is what should be done in my opinion.

Sad part is people have been saying this should of been done on day one. Apple iMessage has been a cluster in terms of removing old devices. Worse part is people here saw the potential problems before launch and still no fixed.

Originally Posted by goobot

I'm not siding with apple here, but she didn't want to use find my iPhones wipe feature? That seems like that is completely on her. Also see couldn't have just changed her password, and then change it back either? It seems she wasn't that cooperative if I'm reading this correctly.

Like I said Apple has handed iMessage security and removing old devices very poorly. It hard and iffy at best.

[unobtainium]

Originally Posted by Blorzoga

No, she should have accepted the consequences that come along with having ones iPhone stolen. If it was stolen from her home, she should seek "compensation" from her insurance carrier. Seems to me she was just looking for a handout.

----------



Text messages <> money

Have you ever heard of something called privacy? Some people value it.

Also, identity theft can = money.

Apple screwed up. This bug is their fault. If they're not willing to fix it, they should get ready to hand out a whole lot of free iPod touches. You'd think they would prefer to just fix their mess instead.

[phillipjfry]

Originally Posted by OrangeSVTguy

If apple was able to "push" code, then they should have disabled the phone completely then. Then the stolen iPhone black market would seize to exist.

Scenario A;
Just broke up with my girlfriend today. Pretty sour about it. I should have her phone reported as stolen and have them shut it down.


I predict a new feature to find my iphone/icloud in the near future to authorize/deauthorize devices for iMessages.

[Supa_Fly]

Apple needs to resolve this, like NOW!

I just put in a SIM for one of our corporate users into an provider-unlocked iPhone 4S 16GB purchased directly from Apple Eaton Centre. After activation over WLAN from a non-active Bell MicroSIM, iMessage activated directly and immediately sent an iMessage from his mother.

iMessage is supposed to be OFF by default, and send via SMS by default. Both are true UNLESS you've enabled iMessage on a previous device - it'll locate your iTunes account and then auto send pending iMessage alerts; by turning iMessage on automatically with no prompt to the user.

Imagine my surprise when I got a booty call on iMessage when setting up an iPhone 4S for my director and I (instinctively) jump to that iMessage :O [quickly deleted and moved on with the trial for setup and enabling MDM solution]. Brutal thoughts must've run through his head.

[Stridder44]

Just admit fault and fix the damn thing. Stop tip-toeing around the issue and pretending it isn't there, it just makes things worse for everyone involved.

[rivertrip]

Originally Posted by acfusion29

this makes a little more sense, but the article stated phone number.



still not making sense.

if i text you at 123-456-7890, then it CAN'T (physically cannot) go to your stolen phone as the sim card is not in that phone

iMessage ≠ text message

[JonneyGee]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0_1 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Mobile/9A405)

I gave my old 3GS to my mom when I bought my 4S. Really glad this isn't happening for me. That could get awkward fast.

[pwhitehead]

The thing that really scares me is that apple proves that they have the ability to breach security and gain remote access; as long as the device has a internet connect? Its great that this lady got help and id expect the same thing, but think about apple being able to remotely connect to ur handheld devices and make something happen. Scary...

[xraydoc]

The number of people who think this woman just wanted Apple to compensate her for a stolen phone or for text messages are missing the point so far off range that you should have your Internet privileges revoked.

The iMessage bug - which as of yet still hasn't been publicly addressed since iOS 5 came out - is that an iPhone will continue to receive the (original user's) iMessages regardless of remote wipe, reformat, pulling the SIM card, deactivating the SIM card, changing iTunes/iCloud passwords... Ad infinitum... UNTIL a valid SIM is inserted and iMessage is toggled off, then back on.

Something that obviously can't be done on a phone that is stolen unless the thief does it on his own.

This is presently the ONLY way to de-associate an iPhone from the iMessage registration database.

I'm beginning to think that only a high-profile security breach (like a stalker killing his target) is going to get Apple to issue a fix!!

A simple preference page on iCloud.com listing the iPhone and its unique ID - and a "delete" option is pretty much all that's necessary to at least stop your messages from going to a stolen or lost iPhone.

Regular SMS will simply stop once the SIM is deactivated or the phone number assigned to a replacement phone.

[C00rDiNaT0r]

Originally Posted by Maltz

Filing a false police report is a good way to end up in jail. Doing what you describe is a good way to get caught filing a false police report. lol

So is theft/robbery. People steal/rob iPhone users all the time, and there have been numerous arrests made. That hasn't stopped other thieves from trying has it?

[Andronicus]

Originally Posted by pwhitehead

The thing that really scares me is that apple proves that they have the ability to breach security and gain remote access; as long as the device has a internet connect? Its great that this lady got help and id expect the same thing, but think about apple being able to remotely connect to ur handheld devices and make something happen. Scary...

scary indeed.

[JAT]

Originally Posted by phillipjfry

Scenario A;
Just broke up with my girlfriend today. Pretty sour about it. I should have her phone reported as stolen and have them shut it down.
.

So you annoy her for another week and then get arrested. Great plan.