Apple said on Tuesday that iCloud did not suffer a security breach that allowed hackers to gain unlawful access to private celebrity images.
Rather the hackers were able to use "a very targeted attack" towards user names, security questions and passwords to gain access, Apple explained in a statement. "We are continuing to work with law enforcement to help identify the criminals involved."
The tech company explained they spent more than 40 hours investigating a possible breach, but found that neither iCloud nor Find my Phone had security vulnerabilities exploited for this attack.
As previously reported, Apple said they were working with the FBI to investigate the hackings.
The FBI has said they are looking into the "computer intrusions and the unlawful release" of highly private photographs.
Reps for both Jennifer Lawrence and Kate Upton have come out and confirmed the pictures were real, they also made it quite clear that they intend to "pursue anyone disseminating or duplicating" the images.
The photos began appearing online, spread through Imgur, Reddit, 4Chan and other sites, on Sunday night. Many other celebrities, almost all female, had their private images released as well, with some either confirming they were real and slamming those spreading the images or calling them fake images.
image courtesy of RogerWong/INFphoto.com