An active member of the Apple jailbreak and leak community allegedly spied as a “double agent” for Apple’s Global Security Team.
Andrey Shumeyko, known online as “YRH04E,” is said to have offered internal Apple information and stolen devices for sale on platforms such as Twitter and Discord. Unbeknownst to others in the community, however, he also shared a wealth of details about their inner workings with Apple. According to motherboard Shumeyko is said to have provided Apple with the personal information of people who sold stolen prototype devices and Apple employees who leaked information online. He also informed Cupertino about journalists who had relationships with the leakers and any other details he thought the company would want to know. But why is he now spilling the beans? The answer is - Shumeyko feels exploited by Apple. He claims that to this day he has not received a cent for all the information.
Shumeyko warned Apple's Global Security Team about possible phishing campaign
But is he credible? If you believe Motherboard, the answer is yes. Motherboard has verified the authenticity of Shumeyko's evidence, including emails with the Global Security Team that are said to have come from Apple's own servers. According to the report, Shumeyko first contacted Apple's Global Security Team, which investigates leaks and is staffed with former intelligence and military officials, in 2017. At the time, he alerted the team about a possible phishing campaign against Apple Store employees before serving as a "mole" in mid-2020 to help Apple investigate some particularly tough leaks. For example, Shumeyko is said to have contacted Apple's Global Security Team and provided details about the iOS 14 leak - including the person who allegedly bought the prototype iPhone, security researchers who obtained copies of the build, and a handful of people in China who traded stolen prototypes.
Apple employee offered access to company emails and more
In another case described in detail, Shumeyko reportedly informed Apple in the summer of 2020 that he had been in contact with an Apple employee in Germany who was working on Apple Maps. The employee allegedly offered to sell access to an internal Apple account used to access company emails and other internal materials on the Apple intranet. Shumeyko said he stayed in touch with the employee and later learned he had been fired from Apple. But he was never compensated for this, either.
Now I feel like I ruined someone for no good reason.
Weeks later, after becoming frustrated with the lack of compensation, Shumeyko shared the internal information with 9to5Mac, who wrote an article about it. However, the leaker regretted this move shortly after and apologized to Apple's Global Security Team. The department responded as follows:
Apple's culture of secrecy is world famous
Please understand that our goal is to protect Apple. Everything we do is guided by what is best for the company, our employees, and our customers (of which you are one). Therefore, your help - and your insights - in understanding potential threats is very important to us. My personal advice is to keep doing the right things to build a positive image for yourself. Do the right things to protect Apple. If you keep doing that, you will be proud of yourself and so will we.
By and large, Apple is known worldwide for its culture of secrecy. For this reason, little has been said about Apple's response to leaks in recent years. However, in early 2020, reports suggested that the company was stepping up its anti-leak efforts in China, where there is a thriving gray market for stolen prototypes and internal software.
