Hackers Up Ante with Apple Breach

The vigilante group said on Sunday that that Apple could be a target for hackers, a threat for future attacks, while also releasing data from the company's Antisecurity campaign.

Not being so serious, but well ... Apple could be target, too. But don't worry, we are busy elsewhere, Anonymous said on its Twitter feed, where it shared a link to the data posted on text-sharing website Pastebin.

The data published were dozens of administrator names and encrypted passwords for a server inside of Apple.

The data was not linked to the more than 200m customer credit cards stored on the iTunes online store.

Instead, hackers hit a website used by Apple for online surveys that could prove of limited use to hackers.

Apple declined to comment.

The breach follows a wave of recent attacks by Anonymous and fellow group, LulzSec, in recent weeks that are in part, designed to embarrass large companies as well as bring awareness to certain political issues.

Earlier this year Anonymous repeatedly hit Sony Corp, stealing hundreds of millions of credit card numbers as an apparent retaliation on how the Japanese company went after a hacker, and the heavy handed way it demanded information from ISP's and social media.

It also gained notoriety after knocking the CIA and the UK Serious Organized Crime Agency offline in what seems to be simply for entertainment.

The move also highlights the growing trend of cyber crime and braggadocio by which the groups operate.

Last month Best Buy has had to inform customers that their e-mail addresses were stolen.The consumer electronics retailer discovered some e-mail addresses had been exposed in a security breach at a third-party vendor.

Google claimed that emails of high ranking US officials were hacked, pointing the finger at China, while Lockheed Martin, US defense contractor, was also compromised.