Update: Apple latest firm to be hit by cyber attacks

Apple has said that it was hacked by the same group that recently hit Facebook staffers.

No user data was taken from Apple during the attack, the company told Reuters. Apple said it will release a software tool late Tuesday in an effort to stop similar attacks from hitting Apple consumer's computers.

The breach was possible because of a vulnerability in the Java browser plug-in, enabling the attackers to infect a small number of computers used by Apple staff.

The attack comes following a recent hack on Facebook staff earlier this month. Facebook admitted to an attack that was caused by the same Java exploit. As with the Apple hack, Facebook says no user data was taken during the breach.

According to Reuters, the attacks may have been perpetrated by a unit of the Chinese military. The attacks have reportedly been spurred on by a Chinese cyber-espionage campaign referred to as APT1.

Along with Apple and Facebook, the campaign has reportedly led to attacks on both the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times. In total, 141 companies have reportedly been hit with a cyber attack during the campaign.

Earlier this month, Apple brought back Java to its computers, having previously blacklisted the platform amid security concers. Apple has since released a security patch for the issue.

V3 has reached out to Apple for comment. We will update the story when we receive a response.

Update: Apple has now released an update that fixes the bug in Java. The firm encourages users to update Java by downloading the patch.