London, November 22: In a major cyber attack on Apple's iCloud, cybercriminals have stolen private pictures and videos of four British female athletes and leaked them online on the dark web. Almost 100 private images of a Britsih athlete were leaked from iCloud. The news of cyber-attack comes when "a sophisticated operation by organised cybercriminals" targetted English football club Manchester United.

According to a report by Daily Mail, the massive cyber-attack has affected hundreds of female sports stars and celebrities. The four athletes who were targetted are considering steps to remove their naked pictures and intimate videos from the dark internet. Hackers Attack 100 High-Profile Individuals to Collect Intelligence, Says Microsoft.

"It really is difficult to know what to do next. The people who do this are sick. We have seen some very unpleasant cases, even where people have been blackmailed over (stolen) material," the agent of one victim told The Times. Apple, which owns iCloud, has not reacted to the cyber leak. A spokesman for the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) asked people to ensure their data is secure.

"The NCSC recommends people turn on two-factor authentication where it's available. We also recommend a strong password made up of three random words to reduce the likelihood of being hacked, and important accounts should use a unique password. The NCSC's Cyber Aware website has actionable steps to stay secure," he was quoted by Dialy Mail as saying.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Nov 22, 2020 11:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).