We start with the leaked celebrity photos, cloud storage’s critical flaw, Anand Shimpi leaving AnandTech for Apple, China giving MS 20 days & much more!

Plus the big test of Microsoft’s commitment to user privacy.

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Naked celebrity hack: security experts focus on iCloud backup theory | The Guardian

Over the weekend, hundreds of nude photos of celebrities were leaked on 4chan before spreading to multiple Internet sites, with one of the involved hackers pointing towards iCloud as the source of the material.

One theory gaining ground is that many of the pictures had been accumulated by one hacker over a period of time – and were then “popped” by another hacker who somehow broke into a machine belonging to the first. Lending weight to that was that one of the earliest photos found in a cache released online dated to December 2011, while the most recent was from 14 August.

Some have also pointed to the presence of a Dropbox tutorial file in one hacked account as suggesting that the third-party cloud storage service was a source of some pictures.

• Mac Rumors: Apple Mac iOS Rumors and News You Care About

• Apple Says It Is “Actively Investigating” Celeb Photo Hack | Re/code

Apple said Monday it was “actively investigating” the violation of several of its iCloud accounts, in which revealing photos and videos of prominent Hollywood actresses were taken and posted all over the Web.

FBI investigating alleged iCloud celebrity hack as Reddit ‘suspect’ declares innocence

[The FBI is] aware of the allegations concerning computer intrusions and the unlawful release of material involving high profile individuals, and is addressing the matter. Any further comment would be inappropriate at this time.

Reddit sleuths, meantime, accused Southern Digital Media sysadmin Brian F Hamade of being the man who leaked the photos. This was based on the same drive names appearing on a screenshot posted by the leaker and ones on an old Reddit post by Hamade.

Hamade has this morning denied the claims in an interview with Buzzfeed, claiming that he did post the screenshot but that it was Photoshopped.

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AnandTech Publisher Anand Shimpi Headed to Apple | Re/code

Anand Lal Shimpi, the editor and publisher of the well-regarded AnandTech site, is going to work at Apple.

An Apple rep confirmed that the company was hiring Shimpi, but wouldn’t provide any other details.

Last night, via a post on the site he founded in 1997, Shimpi said he was “officially retiring from the tech publishing world,” but didn’t say what he was doing next. “I won’t stay idle forever. There are a bunch of challenges out there :)”, he wrote.

AnandTech will continue publishing, and would be run by new editor in chief Ryan Smith.

China gives Microsoft 20 days to provide explanation in anti-trust probe | Reuters

A Chinese anti-trust regulator said on Monday it has given Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) 20 days to reply to queries on the compatibility of its Windows operating system and Office software suite amid a probe into the world’s largest software company.

The State Administration for Industry and Commerce (SAIC) questioned Microsoft Vice President David Chen and gave the company a deadline to make an explanation, the agency said in a short statement on its website.

According to a state media report on Monday, Microsoft’s use of verification codes also spurred complaints from Chinese companies. Their use “may have violated China’s anti-monopoly law”, the official Xinhua news agency said on Monday.

Microsoft refuses to comply after judge revives overseas data search warrant | ZDNet

A US judge has lifted a stay on a ruling, forcing Microsoft to hand over data it stores overseas. But the software giant said it will not comply, pending an appeal.

The government says that the order is not appealable at this stage, and Preska agrees. The Friday order says that the contempt order would be subject to appellate review. This disagreement over the path to appeal is, says the order, “the subject of hot dispute.”

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