Cloud storage services have been around for a while now. In fact, most of us access cloud storage without even realizing it. For iPhone users, iCloud is the storage of choice but most aren’t aware that iCloud hacking is even possible.
Have you ever wondered how someone could hack your iCloud account?
I’m going to tell you everything about hacking iCloud accounts. You’ll learn the ins and outs of what makes it possible for a hacker to access your account, as well as what steps you can take to protect yourself from being hacked.
It’s time to stop wondering and start learning!
If someone has access to your iCloud they could have access to all kinds of things like photos, videos, contacts, messages – even passwords that are stored in your iPhone!
What is iCloud?
iCloud is Apple’s free cloud storage service. It allows you to sync your music, photos, contacts, calendars, and many other things between all of your iOS devices (including iPhone, iPad, PC, or Mac).
You can also use iCloud for backups in case something happens with the data on your devices. Great even if your iPhone or iOS device is lost or stolen – it’s really easy to restore all of your lost data.
People love iCloud because it’s free and it gives them the freedom to access their data from any device.
It is very easy to use and has no restrictions on what kind of data you can upload or download. Technically, you only get 5GB “free”, but that’s usually more than enough for most people.
How iCloud Works?
iCloud works by storing your data on Apple’s servers somewhere out there in the cloud. Then, when you need to access that data, it gets sent to you wherever you are. Your iPhone does this automatically depending on your sync settings.
For example, if you make changes to some music tracks stored online, they will get synced across all of your devices, and your iPhone will automatically download the necessary changes for you.
So iCloud is just a place where your data gets stored – that’s all.
The downside is that this technology comes with its own risks. One of these risks is that all of the personal data that we store on our smartphones and devices is now stored in one place and is vulnerable to hacking.
Even more concerning, there are services that will allow a third party (such as a hacker) to access the information in order to spy on you.
How iCloud Hacking Works
This is a fairly new type of online spying technique. If you’re a target, your iCloud data can be hacked and used against you.
Spy app companies quickly realized that many iPhone users didn’t want to or were not able to Jailbreak the device they needed to monitor. To get around this they found a way to “hack” by monitoring the changes in the iCloud backups.
mSpy was the first app to offer this iCloud monitoring solution – their No Jailbreak iPhone service. No software app is installed on the target device making it very difficult to know if you are being monitored.
It works by gaining access to the iCloud storage account and syncing their data with an online reporting dashboard. The spy can then see most of the activity that has taken place on the monitored iPhone.
In many cases, they do not even need physical access to the target phone. And as I mentioned it is extremely difficult to know if you have been targeted.
Take a minute to check out – Can Someone Hack Your Tinder? You’ll learn how to know if your Tinder has been hacked.
What the Hacker Needs
iCloud monitoring isn’t as straightforward as some might have you believe. To go after your iCloud data, the hacker needs to get hold of your iCloud account credentials. Your password and Apple ID are both needed!
For this to work they will also need to disable two-factor authentication (2FA) on your iCloud account and of course, make sure that backups are enabled.
Once this is all in place they simply log in to iCloud and start monitoring all of your personal data through the spy app online control panel.
Although getting this all in place is not that easy there are ways – see my article about Apple ID hacking for ways you can be attacked.
What Information Can They See?
The iCloud monitoring services aren’t as powerful as the full-featured spy apps that require physical installation. For example, reports aren’t in real-time as they rely on accessing the backups and so there is a delay.
For GPRS tracking, for example, you can see where the iPhone was recently but not where they are right now.
That said, the hacker will still be able to see quite a lot of your activity including call logs, text messages sent and received, emails, photos, browser history, and most activity on social messenger apps. They can use this to see your activity on Facebook for example.
As I said not in real time but you are still totally hacked!
How to Stop iCloud Hacking?
It is almost impossible to tell if your iCloud has been hacked. There is no app installed on your phone and no visible signs of hacking to look out for – unlike regular spy software programs. So, your best defense is prevention. There are some ways to protect against iCloud hacking.
Do I need to state the obvious? Keep your iCloud credentials safe and secure. Alright, but there are some other things to help:
- Don’t share your iCloud account with anyone else. Family accounts for example will share your activity with everyone on the same account.
- The best way to protect yourself against iCloud hacking is with a good password. Don’t use your birthday or anything that can be easily guessed. It is good practice to change your password regularly, just in case.
- Make sure you have enabled two-factor authentication on the iCloud website. I know this is a bit of a hassle, but it’s really worth the effort. With 2FA enabled you’ll be protected against almost all types of hacking, even if your password is stolen.
- Disable iCloud backups! Yes if you are really concerned just don’t use iCloud as your backup service. There are loads of alternatives out there and they are not targeted by the main spy app companies.
Conclusion
So now you know. iCloud hacking is a real thing and you should be prepared. I’ve covered how this all works and what you need to do to protect yourself.
Although it is hard to tell if you’ve been targeted by a hacker you can take steps to secure your iCloud account and so your iPhone or Apple Mac.
Thanks for reading and good luck.
