Kerem Albayrak

Background

Kerem Albayrak is a British security consultant who has described his professional background as encompassing cybersecurity and technology consulting, with a focus on digital security and data protection.

Controversy

In 2017, Albayrak attracted international media attention after contacting Apple Inc. and claiming to possess login credentials associated with hundreds of millions of iCloud accounts. He threatened to remotely reset devices linked to those accounts unless Apple met his financial demands. Reports indicated he sought either US$75,000 in cryptocurrency or US$100,000 worth of iTunes gift cards in exchange for deleting the database he claimed to hold.

Apple reported the threat to law enforcement. In the United Kingdom, the investigation was conducted by the National Crime Agency's National Cyber Crime Unit. Officers arrested Albayrak at his home in North London in March 2017 and seized digital devices as part of the inquiry.

Subsequent investigation determined that the credentials referenced in the extortion attempt were primarily sourced from previously leaked third-party databases rather than from any direct breach of Apple's own systems.

Legal Proceedings

In December 2019, Albayrak pleaded guilty at Southwark Crown Court to blackmail and offences under the Computer Misuse Act 1990. The court imposed a two-year prison sentence suspended for two years, along with 300 hours of unpaid community work and a six-month electronic curfew.