Hackers threatens to remotely wipe 200 Million iPhone user accounts if Apple fails to pay Ransom

A group of hackers which goes by the alias of "Turkish Crime Family" has claimed that they have access to over 300 million Apple email accounts, threatening that they would wipe all user data from those accounts if Apple don't meet up with its ransom demands.

200 Million iCloud accounts will be factory reset on April 7 2017

— Turkish Crime Family (@turkcrimefamily) March 21, 2017

  According to MotherBoard, the group which is demanding that Apple pays them a $75,000 ransom in either Bitcoin or Ethereum currency, gave a deadline of April 7th or they erase the accounts. The hack group is also willing to accept $100,000 worth of iTunes gift cards.

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 To prove that they actually had access to those accounts, the group uploaded a video and emails screenshots that showed their conversation between them and the apple security team. The uploaded video shows someone scrolling through numerous stolen iCloud accounts which is the only the proof the group has provided.

 In response to threats on those accounts, representatives from Apple have declined to pay any ransom instead they threatened to handover the provided information to the authorities. 

"..we would like you to know that we do not reward cyber criminals for breaking the law,"an excerpt taken from MotherBoard's screenshot of the conversation between Apple security team and the hackers read.

The number of Apple credentials have increased from 519m to 627m, we are convinced it will keep growing until 7 April 2017

— Turkish Crime Family (@turkcrimefamily) March 22, 2017

 The group has a twitter handle and an email address it uses to communicate with other media bodies, probably to increase the pressure on Apple.

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Apple iCloud has always been a target for cyber criminals. In 2014, some hackers broke into some accounts belonging to top Hollywood celebrities, stealing their personal photos and videos. Those celebrities included Jennifer Lawrence, Kim kardashian, Rihanna, Scarlett Johansson, Kate Upton and others.