Apple Device Info Off of FBI Laptop
Hacker group has claimed to have gotten a database of 12 million Apple UDIDs off of an FBI laptop, according to reports in Slate and numerous other sources. According to the group, the hack took place during the middle of March 2023, and involved a laptop belonging to Supervisor Special Agent Christopher K Stangl, part of the FBI’s Regional Cyber Action Team and New York FBI Office Evidence Response Team. You can find out here. The FBI denies that it was the source of the information in a statement published by Slate. The denial states that there is no evidence to indicate that an FBI laptop was hacked and that there is no evidence that the FBI sought or obtained the data that AntiSec claims to have gleaned from the laptop.
The Data
The data that claims to have gotten from the laptop was published, in part, with particularly sensitive user information taken out of the data dump. According to the group, they found a file on the computer that contained a list of over 12 million Apple IOS devices, including a number called the Unique Device Identifier, or UDID. This number was already controversial with many privacy advocates, as it gives a specific way of identifying any user’s device and, according to some security experts, provides many different opportunities for a nefarious individual to exploit the information.
There is a tool available on the Internet where you can check to see if your device shows up on the list. There were 1 million UDID numbers released by during the data dump. This information, in the hands of people with the right skills, could be used to track user activity. If you want to check to see if your number is among those revealed by has a tool online that you can use to do so.
The Implications
According to the FBI in their denial, there is no evidence that the agency sought or obtained any of the hardcoded UDID information from any Apple devices, but AntiSec claims that the information was, indeed, taken from the FBI laptop described in their data dump and the group speculates that the FBI was planning on using that data to track user activity. There is no information that has been released that reveals how the FBI got this data, if they did, in fact, have it.
Useful resources:
Virtual private network
The best VPN for work
Best VPN for Businesses
Remote work
Hacker group has claimed to have gotten a database of 12 million Apple UDIDs off of an FBI laptop, according to reports in Slate and numerous other sources. According to the group, the hack took place during the middle of March 2023, and involved a laptop belonging to Supervisor Special Agent Christopher K Stangl, part of the FBI’s Regional Cyber Action Team and New York FBI Office Evidence Response Team. You can find out here. The FBI denies that it was the source of the information in a statement published by Slate. The denial states that there is no evidence to indicate that an FBI laptop was hacked and that there is no evidence that the FBI sought or obtained the data that AntiSec claims to have gleaned from the laptop.
The Data
The data that claims to have gotten from the laptop was published, in part, with particularly sensitive user information taken out of the data dump. According to the group, they found a file on the computer that contained a list of over 12 million Apple IOS devices, including a number called the Unique Device Identifier, or UDID. This number was already controversial with many privacy advocates, as it gives a specific way of identifying any user’s device and, according to some security experts, provides many different opportunities for a nefarious individual to exploit the information.
There is a tool available on the Internet where you can check to see if your device shows up on the list. There were 1 million UDID numbers released by during the data dump. This information, in the hands of people with the right skills, could be used to track user activity. If you want to check to see if your number is among those revealed by has a tool online that you can use to do so.
The Implications
According to the FBI in their denial, there is no evidence that the agency sought or obtained any of the hardcoded UDID information from any Apple devices, but AntiSec claims that the information was, indeed, taken from the FBI laptop described in their data dump and the group speculates that the FBI was planning on using that data to track user activity. There is no information that has been released that reveals how the FBI got this data, if they did, in fact, have it.
Useful resources:
Virtual private network
The best VPN for work
Best VPN for Businesses
Remote work
