4 September, 2014 | Softonic - http://news.en.softonic.com/

FBI & CIA use the same software as hackers to access iCloud accounts

The software is called Elcomsoft Phone Password Breaker (EPPB) and is developed by Elcomsoft, a Russian company specializing in computer forensics. As Wired first reported, ElcomSoft's name first popped up on web forum Anon-IB, where hackers claim to have used the EPPB software– which allows you to retrieve iCloud Backups with a user's original credentials– to extract nude photos from other people's iCloud accounts. According to Business Insider, it was this software that was responsible for stealing iCloud data from celebrities like Jennifer Lawrence, Kirsten Dunst, and Kate Upton.

3 September, 2014 | BBC News - http://www.bbc.com/

Apple iCloud security exploit is a concern, experts say

Technology magazine Wired first reported that software from a Russian firm, ElcomSoft, was being mentioned on a hackers discussion group as a useful tool for infiltrating iCloud accounts. The program, marketed to law enforcement agencies, claims to offer access to iCloud content without the operator needing to be in possession of the iPhone or iPad concerned.

3 September, 2014 | TechCrunch - http://techcrunch.com/

Apple’s Two Factor Authentication Doesn’t Protect iCloud Backups Or Photo Streams

Once they gain access to an Apple account, some are using the login and password to ‘restore’ an iCloud backup using an application by Elcomsoft called the Phone Password Breaker — exporting data including photos and more to a folder which they can then sift through.

3 September, 2014 | InfoRiskToday.co.uk - http://www.inforisktoday.co.uk/

Is Apple iCloud Safe?

Apple has blamed a "very targeted attack" for the suspected breach of numerous celebrities' iCloud accounts, which resulted in nude photographs and videos being leaked to the 4chan image board. But some security experts have taken issue with Apple's explanation for the attacks. And they contend the company's iCloud service remains vulnerable to similar exploits.

3 September, 2014 | TechTarget - http://searchsecurity.techtarget.com/

Apple two-factor authentication fail leaves iCloud users vulnerable

Vladimir Katalov, CEO of Moscow-based ElcomSoft Co. Ltd., agreed that usability is likely the primary concern for Apple's limited two-factor authentication coverage for iCloud. Katalov, who previously detailed the iCloud 2FA limitation, said that in situations where a user loses or breaks a device, they would need to have a separate recovery code stored somewhere to gain access to the iCloud backup, something that may not always be readily available.

3 September, 2014 | The Register - http://www.theregister.co.uk/

NUDE SELFIE CLOUD PERV menace: Apple 2FA? Sweet FA, more like

Apple's particular shortcomings have been fairly well known in the field of computer forensics, if not the wider IT market, for some time. ElcomSoft security researcher Vladimir Katalov presented research on what portions of iCloud are protected by two-factor authentication at the Hack In The Box security conference last year. His presentation, Modern Computer Forensics,which also covers issues related to Android, BlackBerry backups and Windows Phone 8, can be found here (PDF).

3 September, 2014 | IBT - http://www.ibtimes.com/

The Nude Celebrity Photo Leak Was Made Possible By Law Enforcement Software That Anyone Can Get

A law enforcement software tool played a key role in the iCloud hack that saw hundreds of nude celebrity photos released over the weekend, reports Wired. It’s called Elcomsoft Phone Password Breaker. Built by Moscow-based forensics firm Elcomsoft, EPPB is designed to circumvent security on iOS devices so that law enforcement can get data off of bad guys’ phones.

2 September, 2014 | Cult of Mac - http://www.cultofmac.com/

Meet the police forensic tool pervs used to steal celebrity iCloud nude photos

Blame for the flood of celebrity nude photos that hit the Internet has been rotating from the pervy hackers that ripped the pics, to Apple, to the creator of iBrute, but while the FBI and Apple continue to investigate the source of the leak, there’s one tool that has gone unmentioned: the police forensic tool that made it all possible. One of the key elements behind the iCloud nudes leak is a piece of software created by Elcomsoft that allows attackers to impersonate a target’s iPhone and download its entire iCloud backup, and you don’t even have to be a cop to get it.

2 September, 2014 | Wired - http://www.wired.com/

The Police Tool That Pervs Use to Steal Nude Pics From Apple’s iCloud

If a hacker can obtain a user’s iCloud username and password with iBrute, he or she can log in to the victim’s iCloud.com account to steal photos. But if attackers instead impersonate the user’s device with Elcomsoft’s tool, the desktop application allows them to download the entire iPhone or iPad backup as a single folder, says Jonathan Zdziarski, a forensics consult and security researcher. That gives the intruders access to far more data, he says, including videos, application data, contacts, and text messages.

20 June, 2014 | FierceCIO:TechWatch - http://www.fiercecio.com/

Elcomsoft releases new tool to access iCloud data without Apple ID

Elcomsoft has developed a way to access files stored within Apple's iCloud service without knowing a person's Apple ID. Developed by the well-known Russian company to help law enforcement analyze seized computers, the tool works by making use of special authentication tokens obtained from suspects' computers.