Cyber hackers using stolen Apple ID's to steal cash from China's Alipay: Report

Several cyber attackers have now found a new way to break into customers accounts in China and swipe off unknown amounts of cash - through their Apple IDs - Ant Financial’s Alipay, the operator of one of China's top two mobile payment apps, and Tencent Holdings Ltd. warned on Thursday. 

As per reports by Bloomberg, in this rare security breach for China's digital payment providers, Alipay said on its Weibo blog that it has since contacted Apple and looking to resolve the issue as soon as possible. 

'Alipay has contacted Apple many times...and the issue has not been resolved,' the post said.

It warned users who have linked their Apple identities to any payment services, including Tencent Holdings' WePay, to lower transaction limits to prevent further losses.

The breach has affected users of both Alipay and Tencent Holdings Ltd's WeChat and some users lost up to $288, state media outlet Xinhua said on Thursday.

The two companies have also told users to take safety steps to further prevent their Apple accounts like changing their passwords. 

It’s unclear how the attackers goth their hands on the Apple IDs, which are required for iPhone users that buy content such as music from iTunes or the app store. Apple representatives haven’t clarified yet. 

Apple was chastised by Chinese state media in July for the amount of spam being sent on iMessage, with media saying with the company's strict stance on privacy was hindering its ability to crack down on illegal behaviour