Apple worked with a secret double agent to trace leaks of upcoming products

It is a very common occurrence when details about future tech products are leaked way ahead of the planned release and even the official reveal, which also happened in regard to the upcoming iPhone 13. This is more than just an inconvenience for tech companies like Apple because leaks allow not only customers, but also competitors to gain insight into the confidential business plans of the most valuable company in the world.

According to a report by Motherboard, Apple took an interesting and exciting approach to remedy this situation when it turned Andrey Shumeyko, a longtime member of the jailbreak and leaker community, into a double agent. The spy supposedly provided Apple with information which led to the discovery of at least two leakers. In May 2020, Shumeyko was in contact with a person who, through the sale of a stolen iPhone 11 (from US$549 on Amazon), leaked an early internal developer version of iOS 14. The secret double agent was also able to identify another leaker from Germany.

This Apple employee apparently worked on the navigation app Apple Maps and offered Shumeyko access to an internal Apple account, which allowed the leaker to read internal emails and documents. After he was exposed, Apple fired the developer. Even the end of this thrilling story is reminiscent of a Hollywood blockbuster. Because Apple crossed its own double agent and denied to pay Shumeyko for his services, the former confidential informant decided to make his side of this story known publicly.