Apple Further Refutes Bloomberg Report Suggesting Chinese Spies Tampered With iCloud Servers

[shplock]

As a possible solution: Do you think it's possible for Apple to audit all their servers and remove this chip? Do you think it made it into any iMacs? Is there going to be a mass recall with Line ups at the apple stores with people getting their motherboards serviced? Will the servers work without the chip? So many questions...

There is no proof whatsoever that any of Apple's products or servers were compromised. All we have is the words of an organisation called Bloomberg who have a track record of lying claiming it happen because they have 'sources' who said so. Would these be the same sources who said Tesla would be bankrupt in 2013? That Tesla were never going to make more than 1000 Model 3 cars?
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Did anyone actually expect Apple and Amazon who stand to lose lots actually say "yep, our servers were hacked"?

Nobody really knows if this is true or not but it sure makes for good stories.

Except that seeing as how Apple can not keep a secret anymore I doubt that they could keep this secret. Common sense dictates it did not happen. Just Bloomberg delivering their usual low standards of journalism.
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At this point, it's more likely the NSA added the chip and then pointed fingers at China when discovered.

Snowden, PRISM, and all that.

After all, Apple has openly refused to help the FBI. What better way to teach Apple a lesson than to seed a fake story?

There is zero proof yet that anything happened.
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“Placing that chip is impossible. Instead, realize the truth, there is no chip.”

Also, yes, there is.

Also...NO there is not! Common sense dictates it is about 0.001% likely to have happened.
99.999% likely that Bloomberg lied and are making this up. They have form you know!
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Literally how can you say this when you have absolutely ZERO clue whether this story is true or not?

I think rather than journalism going downhill fast, media literacy has been going downhill for years.

Because if you take Bloomberg as the example they have been known to lie before. They basically make up any story they like then just insist it is the truth.
As to the wider media, they are corrupt because in this world of 24 hour news cycle the mantra now is first to publish/print. It no longer is about being accurate.
The mass media have their boss who owns the whole lot, in fact over 90% of the world's mass media is owned by about 5 individuals. They then get to dictate the narrative set by the news. They look at a given country, say the UK and look at the various parties. They then decide who to back based upon which party leaves them better off. They do not care if that party leads you the person better off. They do not care less about you, me or anyone other than themselves and their wealthy friends.
They the use their media channels to deliver stories that praise their chosen parry/candidate and rubbish the opposition. In other words spin! George Bush JR did it with the second election. Fox News is big time pro republican and in Iraq they US troops could only get the Fox News channel. So whenever they watched the News all they got was pro republican stories and anti democrat stories. No wonder they overwhelmingly voted for George Bush Jr.
So I think that is all the proof you need that the mass media can not be trusted to tell the truth.
In the past standards of journalism were very high in that the journalist would check their facts and the double check. Now they just do not care less just so long as they get the credit for the story and get their few minutes of airtime/print time and they get to pretend they think for themselves.
Bloomberg did it before, they claimed that Tesla would be bankrupt in 2013 and cited so called sources. They also said that Tesla would never sell more than 1000 Model 3 cars. At some point you either admit they are plain wrong or you keep sliding further into delusion.
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So.. Do people really think that Bloomberg would be dumb enough to publish an article taking on the two most powerful and valuable companies, along with the Chinese government without credible sources?

The great length by both companies to deny this shows it really got under their skin.. So either Bloomberg is poking a wound or it's really fake news. Somewhere in the middle though, is the truth.

Because Bloomberg do not care about the truth it seems. They have done this before. They insisted that according to so called sources that Tesla would be bankrupt in 2013 and would never sell more than 1000 Model 3 cars.
They just seem to not care less, as long as they get clicks and get views they will say whatever they like.
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This Post-Truth World we live in and everything that goes with it means we cannot always trust what news reporters tell us about any subject.

coming from Bloomberg are you surprised?
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Or Apple is lying. People, and companies, lie you know.

Maybe, except that here Apple has no reason to lie but Bloomberg does and they have doe this many times before. They did it to Tesla and were proven to be wrong.
They never said sorry and never admitted they were wrong. They just do not care.
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It’s a bit silly saying “we’re not under a gag order”. Either that’s what you’d say if you were under a gag order, in which case we can’t believe you, or it’s true and if you ever are under a gag order everyone will know cos you’ll refuse to deny it after setting the precedent of denying it.

This is how conspiracy theories start. They just get crazier and crazier. or the simple more believable truth is that Bloomberg are telling lies. The has done so before you know.
So I know which one make more sense. Some times people can tel the truth. Just because one person may tell lies it doe snot mean everyone is lying.
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Apple has strong financial incentive to not admit it even if it’s true. There is no situation where Apple and Amazon would publicly admit to being compromised by China even if a breach did happen.

As such, why is anyone taking Apple’s word at face value? There the least reliable ones to ask in this situation.
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Lmao, you just randomly believe everything a business tells you, just because? Are you serious? Even if true you do realize there is no situation where Apple would actually admit something like this right? It is helpful to employ critical thinking before commenting on these things.

So you take everything that the media such as Bloomberg says a being the truth no matter how many times they have been caught in the past lying?
because you know the media have every incentive to lie like mad to generate clicks and views. They just do not give a dam just so long as they get to deliver whatever narrative their media owning boss decides should the the case.
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Did anyone read the articles?


All of Bloomberg’s assertions are backed up by details.

All of Apple, Amazon, Supermicro, and China’s rebuttals are based on diversions - and an insistence that the reader believe in the integrity of the denier. I don’t want to believe they are lying to me. They sound like they are giving good reasons. But I still have this gnawing feeling in my gut that I get when I am being lied to, which unfortunately is prevalent today.

In other words, don’t become weary and stop using critical thinking skills. We are lied to from at least one source every day now. It’s better to ignore it when it’s a waste of your time. But don’t give in.



The Bloomberg story rings true. It lines up with everything I know about this industry, with decades of experience. In fact, I always thought this was the most vulnerable part of the PC architecture - going back to the original IBM design - and possibly the only way such a hardware attack could ever be pulled off.

Unless I get good, solid details denying this - and so far there are none - I’m going to believe this story, which sounds well researched and entirely in touch with both technology and the way corporations handle sensitive topics these days.

If Bloomberg were telling the truth then who are their sources? Where is the details, there is actually a shocking lack of details, times ,places people and so on.
Bloomberg have been known to lie many times in the past.
So either you trust Apple who have a good strong record of delivering robust privacy and has been known to tell the truth. Or you believe Bloomberg who has been know to lie, lie and lie some more.
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That's where I'm at. I don't know if it's true or not.

What I do know is, Bloomberg would be committing suicide to fabricate this story, because Apple, Amazon, and Super Micro are now extremely pissed off and likely considering legal action.

It would be insane for Bloomberg to fake this story.
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I disagree about nothing to lose. If this story is bs, they're going to lose their pants in court.

You assume that Bloomberg is sane, trust me that they are far from sane. They also do not care about the truth just so long as they get views and clicks.
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Oh, Apple made a "formal statement" did they? Well that certainly settles it!

Apple has billions of dollars in value invested in their image of keeping your data secure. Is it any surprise at all their PR machine would go into overdrive to refute evidence that their infrastructure (along with that of many other companies) might have been compromised by their Chinese supply chain?

Far more likely that Bloomberg lied.. They have done so before.

 

[fhopper]

There is no privacy. There are no secrets. And normal people should not care unless their property is in jeopardy.

 

[Ethosik]

Oh, Apple made a "formal statement" did they? Well that certainly settles it!

Apple has billions of dollars in value invested in their image of keeping your data secure. Is it any surprise at all their PR machine would go into overdrive to refute evidence that their infrastructure (along with that of many other companies) might have been compromised by their Chinese supply chain?

And if Apple lied about a breach and it is discovered much later, even MORE severe damage would be done. You are legally required to notify of a breach.

Have you forgotten all those breaches where the company was silent about it? It was more severe.

People want to be notified about a breach immediately. It does FAR FAR more damage in the long run to lie about it and hide it. Can you imagine what would happen if it’s true and Apple lied? Good bye Apple. Nobody would trust them again.
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You trust the most valuable company in America to tell the truth about something that could take that very title from them?

That’s insanely sad.

The same can be said if the lie and it’s discovered later. It’s actually worse. Breaches happen. If people are notified and communication is good, people will forgive. If people are lied to, it’s much more damaging.

 

[nj-mac-user]

Zero clue? Apple just said it's plain false. I certainly trust a formal Apple statement more than Bloomberg.

Ahhh... so you TRUST one versus the other. Can we really trust anyone anymore these days?

 

[Tigger11]

People. Please.

Use your brain. I am not saying Bloomberg is right or apple/amazon.

But Apple and Amazon have a TON to lose by admitting to this. Stock prices, public perception - the list goes on.

You should probably follow your own advice. The SEC ramifications of what Apple and Amazon said today refuting the story if it were actually true, are huge fines, removal of company officers etc, that’s why just from that fact we know the story is fake. Totally disregarding the huge software and hardware issues that Bloomberg’s story has and the parts that make no sense, with how contract manufacturing really occurs.

 

[fairuz]

Does anyone else feel that this China espionage chip story and the Trump administrations BS notification system both happened in relatively close proximity to one another? More Red Scare propaganda?

The presidential notification system has existed since around 2007.

 

[bob24]

But Apple and Amazon have a TON to lose by admitting to this. Stock prices, public perception - the list goes on.

I think if Apple and Amazon thought/knew that something indeed happened and Bloomberg might have anything to back up their claims, those strong and specific denials they have made would be *extremly* risky for them.

 

[theMaccer]

ok im going back to Nokia 8310

 

[djcerla]

Ahhh... so you TRUST one versus the other. Can we really trust anyone anymore these days?

Yes.

 

[AgentAnonymous]

ually admit something like

Outrageous claims without a shred of proof. It’s on Bloomberg to provide more than hearsay.

But their business is clicks, so hearsay is just as good as truth for Bloomberg, and with anonymous sources they can cover their own ass.

Never, ever trust the press at face value.

Also FYI: Wall St. is historically terrible with tech news and reporting.

You sound like you didn't read the article, or really carefully think about the situation at all.

 

[supercoolmanchu]

You sound like you didn't read the article, or really carefully think about the situation at all.

Article was nothing but anonymous, unverified sources and wild speculation.

Nice try.

 

[dilbert99]

I don’t blame them for standing by their word. Bloomberg is huge, as is its audience, and this could result in major public opinion setbacks. Shame on Bloomberg.

They need shocking stories to keep afloat. If the editor did a poor job in their investigative journaling, regardless of authenticity and (lack of) proof, it goes to show you how powerful media snakes can be. The line between conspiracy theory and actual events are becoming blurred.

I don't know if there is any truth to the Bloomberg story, but equally the person at Apple telling the story might not party to any internal investigation and telling the truth. Would Apple be in trouble with the stockmarket if the story were true but the person making the statement wasn't party to that investigation (plausible deniability)?
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How would it open up a doorway to the outside world?

Perhaps same way as viruses