Editing ICloud (section)

==Incidents==

===2014 Celebrity Photo Leaks===  

In August 2014, a series of brute-force attacks targeted iCloud accounts, leading to the unauthorized access and release of private photographs belonging to multiple celebrities.<ref>[[wikipedia:2014_celebrity_nude_photo_leak|2014 celebrity nude photo leak]]</ref> Apple denied that a breach of iCloud itself had occurred, attributing the incident to weak user passwords and phishing attacks.<ref>https://www.theverge.com/2014/9/2/6098107/apple-denies-icloud-breach-celebrity-nude-photo-hack</ref> However, vulnerabilities allowing brute-force attacks remained unaddressed the following year, raising concerns over iCloud’s security measures.<ref>https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/icloud-accounts-risk-brute-force-attack-hacker-exploits-painfully-obvious-password-flaw-1481623</ref>

===Data Hosting in China===  

In 2018, Apple transitioned Chinese users’ iCloud data to local servers in compliance with Chinese data laws.<ref>https://thehackernews.com/2021/05/how-apple-gave-chinese-government.html</ref> The move raised concerns regarding government surveillance, as the encryption keys for the data were also stored within China.<ref>https://thehackernews.com/2021/05/how-apple-gave-chinese-government.html</ref> Apple stated that this change only affected users residing in mainland China; however, it did not specify how it distinguishes between residents and visitors.<ref>https://support.apple.com/en-us/111754</ref>

===End-to-End Encryption Restrictions in the United Kingdom===  

In February 2025, Apple disabled Advanced Data Protection (also known as ADP), its end-to-end encryption feature for iCloud, for users in the United Kingdom. The decision followed a request from the UK government, which sought access to encrypted user data.<ref>https://www.zdnet.com/article/why-apples-disabling-of-icloud-encryption-in-the-uk-is-bad-news-for-everyone/</ref>