Some users mysteriously locked out of Apple accounts

By

Locks 1
It's not yet clear why this has happened.
Photo: William Avery Hudson/Flickr CC

Multiple users have reported being locked out of their Apple devices, receiving messages stating that: “Your Apple ID has been locked for security reasons. To unlock it, you must verify your identity.”

There appears to be no pattern to the users receiving the message, in terms of their prior actions. It could be a fault on Apple’s part or, potentially, something more malicious like an attempted brute force attack by hackers.

Reddit user Markthehipster wrote the following:

“I was just listening to music then a double pop-up happened that I need to enter my password in iCloud settings, then after I entered it said I need to verify myself and that my AppleID got locked. Got a call with verification code, then had to change my password, then got a new call because 2FA, signed out of all devices just in case.. all good now, BUT.. is that a regular thing Apple can do? Did that happen for a reason, or they just thought I was being hacked? I changed my AppleID and password around 2-3 weeks ago, but I’ve verified everything since, even talked with Apple Customer Service a couple of times on chat and phone.. strange, but appreciate it Apple.”

His comments are then backed up by other users reporting that the same thing has happened to them. Apple has yet to shed some light on the issue, which appears to affect only a small number of users. (No-one at Cult of Mac received the messages.)

However, on the off-chance that this is an attempted security breach by a malicious third-party, it’s worth taking the opportunity to remind users of the importance of setting up two-factor security on their devices.

Have you run into this problem? Let us know in the comments below.

 

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