How to Unlock Hacked iPhones, iPads, Macs and Remove The Oleg Pliss iCloud Hack

A number of iPhone, iPad and Mac users reported that their devices were hacked and locked with a message, "Device Hacked By Oleg Pliss" appearing on their screens. The complaints originated in Australia and New Zealand and it appears that the users' iCloud accounts were breached allowing Oleg Pliss to gain control of their accounts and lock them. The hacker demands for a ransom of $100 to have their devices unlocked but good news is, in this case, getting Apple devices unlocked is not quite difficult.

Basically, the "Find your phone" feature in the iCloud is what has been breached so, the only way to remove the lock is to restore the Apple device, according to Apple employees in the support forums.

How to restore your iPhone, iPod or iPad

1. Disconnect all cables from your Apple device.

2. Turn off your Apple device.

3. Press and hold the 'Home button'. While holding the Home button, connect your Apple device to iTunes. Turn it on if your Apple device does not turn on automatically.

4. Continue holding the 'Home button' until 'Connect to iTunes' pops up on the screen.

5. iTunes will give you a notification that it has detected a device in recovery mode.

6. Tap OK, and then restore the Apple device.

It appears that the most recent Apple iCloud hacks might have been due to the victims of online hacks using similar passwords for multiple accounts like in their iCloud accounts, according to The Hacker News. That being said, security experts suggest using various passwords across Web sites and make the passwords secure.

On the other hand, for those who wish to make their Apple iCloud accounts more secure, it must be noted that no users with two-step verification reported being a victim of the Oleg Pliss hack. So, at this point, it is best to protect your iCloud account by enabling two-step authentication by following the steps below.

1. Go to My Apple ID > Select 'Manage your Apple ID,' and sign in.

2. Choose 'Password and Security.'

3. Under 'Two-Step Verification,' Choose 'Get Started' > follow the instructions on screen.