14 DAY TRIAL // A number of iPhone owners complain of what appears to be a major security problem encountered when trying to change the billing info or the iTunes credit card data.
According to posts on reddit (1 and 2), account information belonging to someone else shows up in others’ Apple IDs, along with full name, billing address, and the last 4 digits of credit cards.
While full credit card data is not exposed, the personal information is, and users who came across this bug claim Apple is already aware of the problem.
“Spent about 40 minutes on the phone with Apple. They are aware of my issue,” reddit user createdbyeric explains. “They are taking the issue very serious. I was transferred an senior manager who quickly acknowledged how big of an issue this was and he will be escalating both our cases to higher ups.”
Happening in iOS 13 only?
By the looks of things, this isn’t an issue limited just to a specific iPhone model, albeit it could be related to iOS 13.
“I went to update my payment info in iOS13 and while doing so, it showed me info for a Discover card (no one I know even has one of these) and the woman’s full billing address,” the same user explains.
Last week, the United States Department of Defense recommended against installing iOS 13 due to major bugs in the operating system, advising users to wait until iOS 13.1 is released.
“Today I decided to change my iTunes credit card. I used the take picture feature. It read my card well but then when I saved the card someone else’s credit card was saved! A woman’s from Illinois. I have her full name, billing address and last 4 digits of her credit card!” reddit user Thanamite adds in the linked discussion thread.
“That felt like I could steal their money any time. And they could steal mine?”
So is the credit card data at risk? Can anyone make purchases on your behalf if your account data shows up on another iPhone? Nobody knows for sure, as none of the users who came across this problem attempted to make a purchase.
“It did feel like I could use their card if I hadn’t deleted it,” Thanamite explains.
Apple has remained completely tight-lipped on such issues, and for the time being, it’s not known how widespread they are. As a recommendation, you should keep an eye on your credit card balance and reach out to your bank and Apple should you notice anything unusual.