Senator Demands Answers About iCloud Security Measures

A top Senate Democrat is demanding more information from Apple after hackers obtained nude photos of several celebrities.

In a statement, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller said he wants the company to brief his staff on the "security protocols in place for its cloud databases."

"Apple is expected to introduce a new version of its iPhone that will enable, if not encourage, users to store more information with its cloud services, and I want to learn whether these focused, targeted attacks are symptomatic of wider, systemic vulnerabilities," the West Virginia Democrat said.

Apple is expected to unveil the new iPhone 6 next week.

The hackers apparently obtained the photos by accessing the celebrities' iCloud accounts, which remotely store data from iPhones. In a statement earlier this week, Apple confirmed there was "a very targeted attack" on certain accounts, but denied any system-wide breach. The statement didn't appear to rule out that the hackers had repeatedly guessed the celebrities' passwords or security questions.

The company didn't comment on whether it plans to brief Rockefeller's staff on the issue.

Rockefeller also requested a briefing from Home Depot, which reportedly suffered a massive breach of customer credit card numbers. He said the hack is "just one more example of the need for strong federal baseline consumer protections."

The senator, who will retire at the end of the year, has sponsored legislation that would require firms to notify customers in the event of breaches and expand the Federal Trade Commission's authority to issue security regulations.