iTunes Hacked

[Zimmer]

:) :) Apple iTunes Gift Cards code has been hacked....

http://outdustry.com/2009/03/10/the-chines...-voucher-trick/

http://i.gizmodo.com/5167465/get-200-itune...ouchers-for-260

[Sparda]

In my mind it can't be as simple as "reveres engineer code generation" becasue when you buy those gift vouchers the place you purchased it from 'tells' Apple that card was bought and is now usable.

I'd dare say the codes where literally stolen and the 'hack' was figuring out how to activate them, if this actually is true.

Second thought: But then, perhaps that is the hack. Figuring out a valid code then convincing apple to validate it.

Which means some one else who actually gets that code from some where can't use it.

I'm not sure which is more likely. It is unlikely that the numbers on the cards have any meaning other than been numbers that might have a validating check sum of some nature. If they do have a check sum arrangement then this could have been the key in been able to generate 'valid' numbers. I'd guess they are just randomness that sit some where in a database on Apples servers.

However, as for the 'literally stolen' possibility, Apple quite possible know who should be selling the cards and thus who should be activating them. If this is not the case then it is entierly possible that a shipment of iTunes cards got jacked and ended up in China. All the 'hackers' would need is to gain access (in some way) to Apples authentication system and that's it.

[DingleBerries]

A voucher is not a gift card. Hacking a gift card would take alot more than just some keygen but these vouchers are given out online by many people. I can see voucher collisions in the near future though, but i doubt some one will buy a 200USD iTunes voucher.

[Razor512]

it is more legal to just download songs from p2p than to get a hacked gift card and steal music from a company that tracks where every bit goes

[lopez1364]

WOW. Nice try but no dice. I'd rather burn off pandora.

[stingwray]

it is more legal to just download songs from p2p than to get a hacked gift card and steal music from a company that tracks where every bit goes

Actually not, the law is extremely difficult in these cases as the voucher is exchanged for money. As the voucher hasn't been stolen from anyone its not stolen property, it would be up to the retailer to examine the voucher and checks its authenticity before accepting it, if they accept it then the services are rendered. Its not the same as making fake money as that is an actual crime, it can be more likened to photocopying a printed voucher for discount or a free product at a store and the store accepting them. Its not actually a crime.

The only people who will have difficultly with the law is likely to be the people generating the vouchers for defrauding Apple, but with no way for consumers to check authenticity of codes before purchase and without taking the right away from users to sell on un-wanted cards, there's not much Apple can do about it.

The codes are generated so that they can be checked when used for first being authentic and then not having been already used. Because of the large number of possible codes that are usable it is impractical to store all the possibly codes, and makes more sense to store used ones. Codes are checked much like how you can check if an ISBN number is checked to be valid.

So in point of fact, Apple is unlikely to be able to do much from the broken code generation, a recall of the physical cards may go some way.