back to article Apple's two-factor security isn't as good as Microsoft or Google's, say experts

Apple's two-factor authentication system does not protect users' private files backed up to the iCloud, it is claimed. Fanbois have been able to secure their Apple accounts with a two-step login process since March: these accounts are important because they are used to bung or retrieve backups into and out of Cupertino's …

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  1. nuked

    "Fanbois have been able to secure their Apple accounts with a two-step login process since March"

    So people who own Apples are all fanbois?

    Journalism fail. Try facts next time.

    1. DJO Silver badge

      Re: "Fanbois have been able to secure their Apple.....

      A valid criticism to a sexist assertion, there are fangoils as well.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: "Fanbois have been able to secure..."

      No, though he may mean it, he doesn't say it. Fanbois have been able to do it since march. As have non fanbois. It is like the statement, all fire engines are red - that doesn't mean if it is red it is a fire engine. (and yes, not all fire engines are red)

    3. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge

      Re: "Fanbois...

      nuked,

      This is The Register. Where every commentard with an Apple is a Fanboi, every Linux user has a beard/socks/sandals, and every Oracle user sacrifices goats to Larry Ellison each week. All Yahoo! stories have exclamation marks! All Facebook stories contain the word "bitch", and all Google stories have some combination of chocolate factory, oompah-loompah and privacy-hating. That's the way things go round here, are you not used to it yet?

      1. sabroni Silver badge
        Happy

        Re: "Fanbois...

        nuked, you've been posting here for nearly a year and only just noticed that apple users are referred to as fanbois?

        ATTENTION FAIL!!!

        1. nuked
          FAIL

          Re: "Fanbois...

          I think it may be the first time I've read an Apple article.

      2. Euripides Pants
        Linux

        Re: "Fanbois...

        "every Linux user has a beard/socks/sandals"

        Yeah, the Reg needs to get its stereotypes straight. Most of us bearded, sock wearing Linux users have not discovered footwear of any sort.

        1. I ain't Spartacus Gold badge
          Happy

          Re: "Fanbois...

          Stallman hasn't even discovered the sock...

          1. Euripides Pants

            Re: Stallman/sock

            Or he's wearing it on something else...

    4. Cliff

      Re: "Fanbois have been able to secure their ...

      Journalism failURE. Maybe journalistic failure. Or perhaps you mean 'fail' as an internet-age meme on a forum. Not unlike 'fanboi', then really, is it?

  2. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Shock horror

    Something by Apple isn't as good as Google...

    Didn't we learning ANYTHING from the Apple Maps fiasco? (or anything else they have done in the last 2 years)

  3. Nanners
    Stop

    Of course

    They would attack the company that relies on their business the least.Security experts are crooks and thieves.

    1. Anonymous Blowhard
      Facepalm

      Re: Of course

      Of course! People who alert the public to potential security problems are crooks and thieves; whereas companies that implement inadequate security on behalf of paying customers are saints!

      1. Nanners
        Megaphone

        Re: Of course

        The only security they are concerned with is JOB security. Half of the problems they come up with and use scare tactics about were invented and released into the wild by the so called security experts.

  4. VinceH
    Trollface

    Optional

    Dear Apple,

    You're holding securing it wrong.

  5. dougal83
    Trollface

    Lies! Lies!

    Apple is the best! Best security. Best smartphones period.

  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    For those who like a smile at Jobs expense

    You probably have less than 18 hours left to catch the opening five minutes of last Saturdays Radio 4 drama - The Prince, in which Machiavelli (played by Damian Lewis) answers his critics in hell. A certain be-polonecked businessman is up first.

  7. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    But But But...

    But... it just works... ifail, face palm time.

  8. Nanners
    Childcatcher

    want a real security threat?

    Just wait till you get your google glass hacked. Security fail mofos.

  9. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    Cloud storage makes me shudder...

    Putting my personal file in someone else's hands... not something I like doing..

    no matter how its secured, someone at the back end has access to YOUR data if they want..

    1. Wzrd1 Silver badge

      That is why god invented RAID and redundant servers.

      I have a half dozen servers on two networks at two locations to store my data. Their networks can't see anything beyond their own VPN network and the key changes variably.

  10. Tapeador
    Happy

    Ha ha

    That is all

  11. sleepy
    Trollface

    Don't worry, Apple has a plan

    Obviously if you are restoring from the cloud, your original device has failed, and you can't use its presence for authentication. We have a compromise between ease of use and security. Still better than nothing. For proper 2 factor authentication we'll use the impending secure fingerprint scanner in every IOS device. Then the crooks will need to chop off your finger instead of stealing your iPhone. They'll have got the password by threatening to chop off your finger.

    1. Wzrd1 Silver badge
      Go

      Re: Don't worry, Apple has a plan

      Blather. Apple has a plan. The Microsoft plan.

      Do nothing until the majority of major clients bitch and get ready to switch to another OS. THEN do something half-assed. If that fails, do something quarter assed.

      Eventually, one might get to do something right.

      But, it hasn't happened yet.

  12. Dana W
    Happy

    SURE it is.

    Yes because Apple products are havens for Mal-ware and viruses.

    Wait, that's Windows. Oops.

    Seven years of Mac, and I run a virus scan once a year, if I need it or not.

    Still nothing. How is that Android Mal-ware doing? Still epidemic?

    http://www.mobilemarketingwatch.com/android-malware-reaching-epidemic-proportions-26647/

    Want to see butthurt Fanbois? Watch the thumbs down this gets.

    1. DryBones
      Holmes

      Re: SURE it is.

      15 years of Windows use and no viruses here, either. I use sensible controls and the occasional scan. More importantly, how competent is the scanner that does the spot checks? A missed infection gives the same results as a clean system.

      1. Wzrd1 Silver badge

        Re: SURE it is.

        Uh huh. So, you never were infected by a "zero day" that had seven years longevity and was found and reported by the US government?

        I'm sure you don't know about what I'm talking about, but those who monitor patches would've noticed the number of antiquated, but supported systems with one singular bug that was patched a year and change or so ago.

    2. DryBones
      FAIL

      Re: SURE it is.

      (Yes, two replies, forum needs a bloody Edit button.)

      A shame you didn't choose to follow the report link in the article you quoted. If you had, you might have found this:

      http://m.techcrunch.com/2012/11/05/android-malware-surges-despite-googles-efforts-to-bounce-dodgy-apps-off-its-platform-f-secure-ids-51447-unique-samples-in-q3/

      It features gems such as:

      It believes Android’s growth — especially in regions such as China and Russia with “less secure” third party app markets — is a more likely explanation for the malware surge than malware makers finding a way to circumvent Google’s Play Store scanning system.

      In other words, exactly the same situation as Apple users that download and install malware laden programs by entering their password, which we all rightfully shrug off as user error. Oh dear, installing stuff from dodgy sources might get you infected? Who'd have thunk it? Meanwhile, malware from the Play Store has precipitously dropped in quantity.

      Good thing this isn't a tyre shop, you'd need a lot of weights to balance properly.

    3. Wzrd1 Silver badge

      Re: SURE it is.

      Blather. I personally use a handful of OS's, depending on need and task needs.

      They range from Windows to Mac OS X to *bsd, Solaris and Linux.

      The majority prevalent OS will have the lion's share of malware. As Linux and OS X soared a bit, the malware spread to those platforms.

      But, do let's engage on revisionist history and ignore the fucking reality.

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