FCC Launches iPad Security Breach Probe

WASHINGTON — The U.S. Federal Communications Commission said it would take a closer look at online security and privacy issues following recent security breaches involving Apple’s iPad and Google’s collection of private data by its Street View cars.

The FCC announcement comes one day after the Federal Bureau of Investigation said it had opened its own investigation of the iPad security breach that exposed personal information of AT&T customers, including several high ranking officials.

The breach happened when a group calling itself Goatse Security, hacked into AT&T’s iPad subscriber data, obtaining a list of email addresses.

"Our Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau is now addressing cybersecurity as a high priority," said Joel Gurin, chief of the FCC’s consumer and governmental affairs bureau.

The communications regulatory agency will seek to ensure that broadband networks are safe and secure.

"We're committed to working with all stakeholders to prevent problems like this in the future," he said.

AT&T acknowledged the breach, but said it has corrected the flaw and that only email addresses were exposed to hackers who identified a security weakness

In May, Google said its fleet of cars responsible for photographing streets around the world had for several years accidentally collected personal information sent by consumers over wireless networks.

Gurin added the Google incident is a reminder that open WiFi networks — those that are not encrypted — are vulnerable to cyber snooping. He urged consumers to read a wireless safety guide issued by the Federal Trade Commission.

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