Apple has finally responded to the report that unknown number of iTunes accounts were hacked.

Two developers had initially observed that 40 of the Top 50 iPhone apps in the Books Category in the App Store were developed by a Vietnamese developer “Thuat Nguyen” and had suspected that the hacked iTunes accounts were being used to buy apps from the App Store to improve rankings.

Some of our readers had also reported that their account were hacked and used to buy iPhone apps from the App Store.

Engadget is reporting that Apple has confirmed that the Vietnamese developer has been banned from the App Store for “violating the developer Program License Agreement” and also for “fraudulent purchase patterns”.

Apple has sent the following response to Engadget on the issue:

The developer Thuat Nguyen and his apps were removed from the App Store for violating the developer Program License Agreement, including fraudulent purchase patterns. Developers do not receive any iTunes confidential customer data when an app is downloaded. If your credit card or iTunes password is stolen and used on iTunes we recommend that you contact your financial institution and inquire about canceling the card and issuing a chargeback for any unauthorized transactions. We also recommend that you change your iTunes account password immediately. For more information on best practices for password security visit http://www.apple.com/support/itunes.

Though Apple hasn’t directly confirmed that the accounts were hacked, it has advised users to take precautions, which suggests that iTunes account were hacked.

It might be a good idea to check your iTunes account to ensure that there is no security breach. Apple has a knowledge base article (link) for users who suspect that their account is compromised, which also includes the best practices for account security, this might be a good wake up call for all of us to go through them and take necessary precautions.

[via Engadget]