back to article Fake Apple rep amasses 620,000+ stolen iCloud pics, vids in hunt for images of nude women to trade

A California man this month admitted he hoarded hundreds of thousands of photos and videos stolen from strangers' Apple iCloud accounts to find and share images of nude young women. Prosecutors in Florida had charged [PDF] Hao Kuo Chi, 40, of Los Angeles County, who uses the first name David, with conspiracy and computer fraud …

  1. Imhotep

    Don't Make It So Easy

    Is it really "hacking" if the victims voluntarily hand over their log in credentials?

    "Scamming" seems a better description.

    Or how how about "sin-gineering" from social engineering?

    1. Mark 85

      Re: Don't Make It So Easy

      Sadly, hacking doesn't mean what it used to mean. In the not too distant past, a "hacker" was an IT wisz who could do things beyond the mere mortals who used computers.

      Today, it's been demoted to general "not good people". I guess most folks don't understand the word "miscreant".

    2. gnasher729 Silver badge

      Re: Don't Make It So Easy

      What difference does that make to the victim?

      1. Flocke Kroes Silver badge

        Re: Difference to the victim

        Perhaps a few of them will take appropriate counter-measures in future if they understand what caused the last breach.

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Don't Make It So Easy

      Dont make it easy?

      Have you seen how many CVE’s get listed nowadays?

      They can’t even get logic done properly how on Earth are they gonna get a proper secure framework together

      Dont hold your breath

      I got about a million different 2FA methods for my gmail, I dont need or asked for, one of those methods is text message. Tech companies employ smart but stupid people who lack common sense

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Don't Make It So Easy

      The term for this is Social Engineering. Requires interacting with humans.

      Hacking is altering device/software to function other than exactly as intended.

      Scamming, could be the result of either.

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Does he not know...

    ...there are pictures of naked people on the internet for free

    1. Neil Barnes Silver badge

      Re: Does he not know...

      One must assume that it is the thrill of the chase which appeals, rather than the thrill of the image.

    2. jmch Silver badge
      Trollface

      Re: Does he not know...

      "there are pictures of naked people on the internet for free..."

      What? Really??

      1. DJV Silver badge

        Re: Does he not know...

        No, it's pictures of cats all the way down.

        1. ICL1900-G3 Silver badge

          Re: Does he not know...

          Brilliant. Deserves many upvotes.

        2. Adrian 4

          Re: Does he not know...

          Naked cats.

    3. Version 1.0 Silver badge
      Joke

      Re: Does he not know...

      When I was a kid we all just read the National Geographic magazine. But I just checked all the comments here and confirmed that everyone writing a comment is naked under their clothes.

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: Does he not know...

      Oh? Gotta find a way to the internet, fast!

  3. batfink

    What an evil person

    Just imagine - "using a foreign-based end-to-end encrypted email service". Are there no depths to which people won't sink?

    1. Cybersaber

      Re: What an evil person

      When I read that, my very first thought was that 'foreign' adds nothing to the understanding of the type and scope of 'end-to-end encryption.' It seems purely there either because of personal bigotry or attempts to incite the same xenophobia among the jury.

      Either way, very bad form, Mr. Prosecutor.

      1. Cybersaber

        Re: What an evil person

        Actually, I did think of one non-bigoted reason that could have been intended - that 'domestic' E2E would have somehow been less effective at preventing snooping by the DA. That thought doesn't make me any happier though than the previous.

        I suspect it was my earlier suspicion, that the intent was to spin a bad light on E2E encryption a tool used only by ne'er-do-wells, and the fact that it was 'foreign' was just thrown in there to make it seem even _more_ nefarious to xenophobic mindsets.

  4. martinusher Silver badge

    Silly Sod

    Half the human race is female and they're all nude under their clothing. In short, "You've seen one, you've seen them all". There's different standards of beauty and there's also the context but just collecting random pictures....what an extraordinary waste of time and storage space.

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