Apple's developer portal has been hacked

Apple has been forced to take down its developer website, following a security breach in which the company says developer names, mailing addresses and email addresses may have been compromised. The Apple Developer website, which acts as a portal for iOS developers, was taken down last Thursday and updated with a message over the weekend, stating that an outside intruder had attempted to secure personal information about registered developers. Apple was keen to stress that sensitive personal information was encrypted, and therefore cannot have been accessed. However, it added that "we have not been able to rule out the possibility that some developers’ names, mailing addresses, and/or email addresses may have been accessed." Following the breach, Apple says that it has been working around the clock to completely overhaul its security system, updating its server software and rebuilding its entire database. The company noted that for any developers whose apps and games were set to expire over the last few days, your program membership has been extended and your games will remain on the App Store. It did not, however, given any indication of when the Developer website will once again be accessible. Meanwhile, a Turkish security researcher called Ibrahim Balic claims to have been behind the breach, although he says that the intention was to demonstrate a leak in Apple's security system, rather than to steal user information.