Apple's two-step verification system has a major problem

Apple users who think their iCloud data is secure from hackers after turning on Apple's two-step verification security feature may want to think again.

A group of Moscow security researchers were able to find a way around Apple's two-step verification program, allowing them unauthorized access to iCloud data.

While the vulnerability didn't allow the researchers to make unauthorized purchases, it did grant them access to data stored on iCloud. Such access could result in a mass deletion of data stored in iCloud, much like the attack suffered by Wired journalist Matt Honan, who witnessed his entire digital life dissolve before his eyes. The hackers used a technique called social engineering - which typically implies gaining access to sensitive information by calling tech support - to reset Honan's iCloud password and gain access to his account. From there, they reset the passwords for other online accounts, deleting data along the way. Honan contends that if he had two-factor verification, the hackers would've been limited in their efforts.