Apple moves to block in-app purchasing hack

WALLED GARDEN PROPRIETOR Apple has moved to fix a flaw in its Itunes App Store, after it was hacked to enable users to make free in-app purchases.

Uncovered on Friday, the hack carried out by Russian hacker ZonD80 enables users of devices running IOS 3.0 and above to get free in-app purchases from the App Store. The workaround doesn't require a jailbroken device, and instead requires users to install a CA certificate, tweak their DNS settings and hand over their Apple ID and password.

As predicted, Apple has moved quickly to plug the leak, blocking the IP address of the server used by the Russian hacker. Apple followed this up with a takedown request on the hacker's web server and a copyright claim against the hacker's video.

Paypal has also moved to resolve the issue by preventing users from making donations to keep the service running.

In a statement, Apple said, "The security of the App Store is incredibly important to us and the developer community. We take reports of fraudulent activity very seriously and we are investigating."

It's still unclear whether Apple will be offering compensation to developers left out of pocket, as the company was unable to comment on that issue. µ