iCloud security issues?

[DdMac679]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

Although I plan to try and fully utilize iCloud, I was wondering if anyone else had any privacy / security concerns over the new service. Are you going to take any extra precautions to ensure that not all your pics, docs, calendar appointments, etc are not stored on the cloud?

 

[Gav2k]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

Set a strong password and your good to go

 

[BuddyTronic]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

Set a strong password and your good to go

True, but the thing that really can compromise security for many folks like me is that I have kids who have access to my password because I want them to be able to download apps and stuff from their devices.

So that same password gives you the keys to the city as far as my account goes.

I didn't care when it was just my Visa card, but now a sophisticated hacker could get access to much stuff that is backed up on iCloud automagically now.

To me that's the biggest security issue, and it's really an issue of how this stuff is being used. Much more likely for someone to find out my super strong password when it's in the hands of a 12 year old who doesn't really have a sense of the true magnitude of responsibility for that password.

Anyone see a solution for that?

 

[FSMBP]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_3_5 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8L1 Safari/6533.18.5)

Although I plan to try and fully utilize iCloud, I was wondering if anyone else had any privacy / security concerns over the new service. Are you going to take any extra precautions to ensure that not all your pics, docs, calendar appointments, etc are not stored on the cloud?

Everyone who has email is taking that risk.

But as far Calender events, docs, pics - those are additional risks you take on. But the way I look at, I'm not that special - who the hell wants to know that I have an iCal reminder of picking up milk? Or see my latest from my camera roll of my dog.

I'm not saying that I don't care if my account got "hacked" but then again, I'm not gonna live my life paranoid either - the benefits outweigh the risk for me.

 

[Analog Kid]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

I'm very worried about it, and I don't think a strong password is sufficient. I'd like to see some evidence that data is encrypted on a per user basis on the servers, for example, so that a hacker gaining access to the server can't just walk away with data for a million users-- that a huge and tempting target.

I'm equally worried about the number of people (here and elsewhere) who are sure everything is fine. "Apple doesn't want to tarnish their reputation with a security breach" is not a guarantee of security. Neither is "Apple has never had a problem before". The same could be said about plenty of other companies who have had major screwups, and aside from a few days of bad press it really didn't affect their business in the end. Apple really wanted the IOS5/iCloud launch to go smoothly and it's totally fubar'd two of my devices.

I'd really like to use the service, but until I get security details I'm keeping it off...

 

[BuddyTronic]

Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; CPU iPhone OS 5_0 like Mac OS X) AppleWebKit/534.46 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.1 Mobile/9A334 Safari/7534.48.3)

I'd really like to use the service, but until I get security details I'm keeping it off...

I'm definitely not holding back or waiting for anything. Security is an illusion at any time and I have to live with that. If I delay or hold back, I'm already losing something just by making that choice.

 

[globalist]

True, but the thing that really can compromise security for many folks like me is that I have kids who have access to my password because I want them to be able to download apps and stuff from their devices.

So that same password gives you the keys to the city as far as my account goes.

I didn't care when it was just my Visa card, but now a sophisticated hacker could get access to much stuff that is backed up on iCloud automagically now.

To me that's the biggest security issue, and it's really an issue of how this stuff is being used. Much more likely for someone to find out my super strong password when it's in the hands of a 12 year old who doesn't really have a sense of the true magnitude of responsibility for that password.

Anyone see a solution for that?

You know your Apple ID (the email address used on all your iOS devices) does not have to be used to set up icloud sync, right?

 

[Patriot24]

Unless you are using a POP account, I see no reason to backup your email (and related calendars) to iCloud since all of that data is stored in the cloud already. If something happens to my devices, I simply login to my exchange or gmail account and all my mail and calendars are back.

If you don't use iWork, then you are probably already using Office and Dropbox/Box.net.

Contacts - there is nothing here that someone couldn't find on the web (other than the fact that we are friends).

Photo Stream - enjoy browsing the last 1,000 photos of my dog.

Bookmarks - this guy visits CNN and Apple! Omg!

If someone got into ,my iCloud account, I'm not sure it would be worth their time.

 

[samcraig]

If someone got into ,y iCloud account, I'm not sure it would be worth their time.

Yeah - but that's just because you're boring

 

[Patriot24]

Yeah - but that's just because you're boring

Hah. I think the old phrase, "don't put all of your eggs in one basket" describes it accurately.

 

[BuddyTronic]

You know your Apple ID (the email address used on all your iOS devices) does not have to be used to set up icloud sync, right?

Not really, and I still am not sure.

I gotta think about this a bit.

Thanks for saying this because yeah, I have had an Apple ID for iTunes, and I used the same one for MobileMe, and now the same deal for iCloud.

I have a "real" enterprise Email address for my business, but I was on POP mail on that until just recently, and it still doesn't have true "Push" like the free Apple Email, but I can't do business with any of these Gmail, Hotmail, mac.com Email addresses - it's just not professional.

Anyway, I do have a mac.com Email address, and I use it for crap where I suspect I'm going to be spam targeted and for non-essential communications. I guess I have really tried really hard not to create too many Email addresses and accounts. It's all a big pain in the a$$ to manage all this. For the limited number of accounts I do have I have separate passwords and that's my sense of security. The "freebie" emails have their own passwords so I am theorizing that if they get hacked, it's no big deal.

Anyway, I'm babbling. I'm going to consider what you say about using multiple Email accounts to access this Apple stuff.