Apple Developer Center Outage Fixed 'Remote Code Execution' Flaw

xcodelogoApple has released new details (via @cabel) on the security flaw that caused the Developer Center to be down for more than a week, noting via its Apple Web Server notifications page that a "remote code execution issue" was fixed.

On the site, Apple credits 7dscan.com and SCANV of www.knownsec.com for reporting the bug on July 18, which is the same day the Developer Center was taken offline. During the downtime, Apple reported that the Developer Center website had been hacked, with an intruder attempting "to secure personal information" from registered developers. The company noted that while sensitive information was encrypted, some developer names, mailing addresses, and/or email addresses may have been acquired.

The eight-day outage required a complete overhaul of Apple's developer systems and a restoration plan that slowly brought services back online.

While security researcher Ibrahim Balic speculated that he might have been behind the security breach, it is now clear that the issue he reported was unrelated to the major flaw that caused the downtime. Apple credits Ibrahim with reporting a separate iAd Workbench vulnerability on July 22. The vulnerability allowed Balic to obtain both names and Apple IDs of users.

applesecuritysite
On August 10, Apple reported that all of its developer services were back online, a full 23 days after the outage first occurred. As a result of the downtime, Apple gave all developers a one month extension on their developer memberships.

Popular Stories

iOS 26

iOS 26.1 Available Now With These 8 New Features

Monday November 3, 2025 5:54 am PST by
Following more than a month of beta testing, Apple released iOS 26.1 on Monday, November 3. The update includes a handful of new features and changes, including the ability to adjust the look of Liquid Glass and more. Below, we outline iOS 26.1's key new features. Liquid Glass Toggle iOS 26.1 lets you choose your preferred look for Liquid Glass. In the Settings app, under Display...
Finder Siri Feature

Apple's New Siri Will Be Powered By Google Gemini

Wednesday November 5, 2025 11:57 am PST by
The smarter, more capable version of Siri that Apple is developing will be powered by Google Gemini, reports Bloomberg. Apple will pay Google approximately $1 billion per year for a 1.2 trillion parameter artificial intelligence model that was developed by Google. For context, parameters are a measure of how a model understands and responds to queries. More parameters generally means more...
Apple Logo Spotlight

Report: Apple to Launch These New Products in 2026

Sunday November 2, 2025 5:34 am PST by
Apple is planning to launch at least 15 new products in 2026, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman. Gurman outlined what to expect from Apple in 2026 in the latest edition of his "Power On" newsletter. He said the company is heading "into one of its most pivotal years in recent memory," with the rollout of major new Apple Intelligence features, intense regulatory pressure on the App Store,...
iOS 26

Apple Releases iOS 26.1 With Liquid Glass Toggle, Slide to Stop Alarm, New Apple Intelligence Languages and More

Monday November 3, 2025 1:11 pm PST by
Apple today released iOS 26.1, the first major update to the iOS 26 operating system that came out in September, iOS 26.1 comes over a month after iOS 26 launched. ‌iOS 26‌.1 is compatible with the ‌iPhone‌ 11 series and later, as well as the second-generation ‌iPhone‌ SE. The new software can be downloaded on eligible iPhones over-the-air by going to Settings > General >...
2024 iPhone Boxes Feature

Apple Adjusts Trade-In Values for iPhones, iPads, Macs, and More

Thursday November 6, 2025 11:12 am PST by
Apple today updated its trade-in values for select iPhone, iPad, Mac, and Apple Watch models. Trade-ins can be completed on Apple's website, or at an Apple Store. The charts below provide an overview of Apple's current and previous trade-in values in the U.S., according to its website. Maximum values for most devices either decreased or saw no change, but the iPad Air received a slight bump. ...
Early Black Friday Deals 2

The Best Early Black Friday Apple Deals

Sunday November 2, 2025 10:04 am PST by
We're officially in the month of Black Friday, which will take place on Friday, November 28 in 2025. As always, this will be the best time of the year to shop for great deals, including popular Apple products like AirPods, iPad, Apple Watch, and more. In this article, the majority of the discounts will be found on Amazon. Note: MacRumors is an affiliate partner with some of these vendors. When ...
tvOS 26 Feature

Apple Releases tvOS 26.1

Monday November 3, 2025 1:07 pm PST by
Apple today released tvOS 26.1, an update to the tvOS 26 operating system that came out in September. tvOS 26.1 is available on the Apple TV 4K and the Apple TV HD models, but Liquid Glass is only available on the second-generation Apple TV 4K or later. tvOS 26 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌‌Apple TV‌‌. Open up Settings and go to System > Software Update to get the ...
apple one  cpqesecbv342 upscaled feature

Apple One Gets New Colorful Logo Following Apple TV Rebrand [Updated]

Monday November 3, 2025 3:22 pm PST by
Apple updated the logo and name for its Apple TV streaming service today, and it looks like Apple One might be next. On the revamped Apple TV website, there's a new, more colorful Apple One logo available. The logo features an Apple icon that's split into six slices, and each slice includes the color that Apple uses for one of the services included in Apple One Premium. Apple One is...

Top Rated Comments

bbeagle Avatar
159 months ago
Glad its finally all resolved. I'm sure someone is trying to find the next venerability.
ven·er·a·ble (vnr--bl)
adj.
1. Commanding respect by virtue of age, dignity, character, or position.
2. Worthy of reverence, especially by religious or historical association: venerable relics.
3. Venerable Abbr. Ven. or V.
a. Roman Catholic Church Used as a form of address for a person who has reached the first stage of canonization.
b. Used as a form of address for an archdeacon in the Anglican Church or the Episcopal Church.

vener·a·ble·ness, vener·a·bili·ty n.
vener·a·bly adv.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
macsrcool1234 Avatar
159 months ago
And you know this.... how exactly?



Key word, reported, but not confirmed. So, until that time I'll assume it is also a bug in OS X Server that needs addressing. However, I'll give the benefit of doubt and also throw in that it might be the software running on top of OS X.


Because he knows what he's talking about, unlike you. OSX Server is not designed for that kind of use and would crumble under the load.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
mdnz Avatar
159 months ago
And you know this.... how exactly?



Key word, reported, but not confirmed. So, until that time I'll assume it is also a bug in OS X Server that needs addressing. However, I'll give the benefit of doubt and also throw in that it might be the software running on top of OS X.
OS X server has tons of memory overhead (like the GUI) and is not as scalable as some other solutions. Servers at enterprise level need to be as optimised for one job (granted, depends on the server) as much as possible to reduce overhead and costs.

Bottom line: If you need to host a website which has millions of viewers a day, it's just not efficient nor costfriendly do to it purely on OS X. Also one thing to add is if you look at their job applications for System administrator it's mostly for Solaris/Linux.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jav6454 Avatar
159 months ago
If they used OS X, I hope they released a patch for the system.
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Terrin Avatar
159 months ago
Think of readers whose first language isn't English. When you use unusual words with spelling that is not found in any dictionary, they can have a hard time finding out what you mean. Ibrahim Balic is quite possibly one of them.

Now whatever was said about him, he deserved it. He took actions that he shouldn't have taken and openly boasted about it. If you want to appear as the tough guy who brought Apple's developer site down, then you deserve anything that comes as a reaction.

I am confused. He did what all security researchers do. Namely try to find bugs. He then quietly reported the bugs to Apple. The site then went down the same day. The guy freaked thinking he was the cause. To try and cover himself he posted a video outlining what happened. He was clearly worried about Apple coming after him. Turns out Apple credited him with discovering another unrelated bug. The guy acted properly and never boasted.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
rdlink Avatar
159 months ago
Queue the, "Apple owes us more free time." rants.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)