They want $75K in Bitcoins or $100K in iTunes gift cards

Mar 22, 2017 00:14 GMT  ·  By

Apple is currently under pressure to pay a ransom to a group of hackers who are threatening to remotely wipe iPhones. 

It seems the hackers are identifying themselves as "Turkish Crime Family." Taking into account just how big Apple is and how deep its pockets go, the hackers only demanded $75,000 in Bitcoin or Ethereum, another crypto-currency. Alternatively, $100,000 worth of iTunes gift cards could also work, Motherboard reports.

In fact, the very fact that the hackers reached out to the media is evidence that they want to make Apple squirm a bit, while also informing users that the tech giant isn't just jumping at the chance of paying off the hackers.

"I just want my money and thought this would be an interesting report that a lot of Apple customers would be interested in reading and hearing," the hackers told the publication, while also sharing screenshots of alleged emails between the group and members of Apple's security team.

The hackers went as far as to upload a YouTube video of them allegedly logging into some of the stolen accounts, showing their photos and the ability to remotely wipe the device.

We do not reward criminals

One of the emails allegedly sent by Apple asks them to take down the video because it was seeking unwanted attention. "We would like you to know that we do not reward cyber criminals for breaking the law," continues that same video.

The emails Motherboard had access to seem to show some inconsistency. In one of them, the hacker claims to have access to 300 million Apple email accounts, while in another the number jumps to 559 million.

For its part, Apple seems to be keeping mum about the issue. Hackers have given them until April 7 to pay up. Unless the terms are met, they are going to start remotely wiping iPhones left and right and to reset iCloud accounts. Whether that's true or not remains to be seen. The pressure they're trying to put on Apple via the media is evidence, however, that negotiations may not be going too well for the hackers.