The five things you need to do to keep your iCloud secrets safe from hackers

WITH news hackers are offering to sell nude images of model Emily Ratajkowski, here are the five things you need to do to keep your iCloud safe.

Model Emily Ratajkowski has reportedly been targeted by hackers again. Picture: Instagram

THE news that someone was — again — offering to sell nude photos of model Emily Ratajkowski has highlighted the security risk of having all of our personal information, from bank details to very personal photos, sitting on an iPhone.

British columnist Helen Woods yesterday brought the iCloud hack of 2014 back into the headlines with a report someone sent her more than 200 private nude images of Ratajkowski.

The report does not make it clear if this was a result of a new hack or simply photos gathered when Ratajkowski’s account was compromised in the high profile Celebgate cyber attack of 2014.

A British journalist received more than 200 private nude images of Emily Ratajkowski from an apparent hacker. Picture: Instagram

In that instance, celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Kirsten Dunst had private photos leaked to the world.

Thank you iCloud🍕💩

— Kirsten Dunst (@kirstendunst) September 1, 2014

Last year Edward Majerczyk, 28, of Chicago, and Ryan Collins, 36, of Lancaster, Pennsylvania, pleaded guilty to playing a role in the “iCloud hack” that turned out to be nothing more sophisticated than a targeted phishing attack..

In short, the hackers sent emails that appeared to be from Apple and Google, which prompted the targeted celebrities to divulge their user names and passwords.

SECURITY FLAW: 1 billion users hit in world’s biggest hack

TWO STEP: Apple introduces new security steps

Since Celebgate, Apple has improved its security with two-factor verification, which requires you to verify a log in attempt with a four-digit code sent to one of your devices.

There are plenty of things you can do to protect your iCloud account.

But there is plenty more you can do to protect yourself.

In order to ensure the security of your iCloud account, here are five things you need to do:

1. Make sure your iCloud password is unique and not used with any other account. A common security error is to reuse the same password across multiple sites and a hack of a site with poor security exposes more than just one account. Sites such as Have I Been Pwnded can help you detect if your username and password has been compromised in some of the major security breaches.

2. If an email asks for you to verify your username and password details, treat it as fake. Webfoot’s Annual Threat Report, published last week, found the top three phishing targets are Google, Yahoo and Apple. If you do receive a phishing email seeking details of your iCloud account, Apple recommends you report it by emailing it to [e-mail].

3. You can log on to your account at icloud.com and click on settings to see the devices that are registered to your account. If there is something there that is not your device, change your password immediately.

4. One of the best security tips is to change your password frequently, although that presents the problem of remembering your ever-changing password. Password management apps such as 1 Password can help, by keeping your list of passwords encrypted. All you have to remember is one password to get access to the app, or use your fingerprint with TouchID.

5. In the wake of Celebgate, Apple launched two-factor authentication which ensures your account can only be accessed on devices you trust. When you sign into a new device for the first time, you will be asked to provide a code that is displayed on one of your trusted devices. To turn on two-factor authentication, go to Settings, iCloud, and then tape your Apple ID to access Password and Security.