

(FILES) An Apple logo is seen at the entrance of Yerba Buena Center for Arts in this March 6, 2012 file photo in San Francisco. Apple will unveil a new, smaller version of its wildly popular iPad in October after the release of the latest version of its iPhone next month, the All Things Digital website reported August 26, 2012. AFP Photo / Kimihiro Hoshino / FILESKIMIHIRO HOSHINO/AFP/GettyImages

In response to targeted attacks from thieves who stole nude pictures of celebrities from iCloud accounts, Apple chief executive Tim Cook said in an interview with the Wall Street Journal Apple will add new features to beef up user security on iCloud.

Within the next two weeks, Cook said Apple plans to start alerting users when someone tries to change a password for their iCloud accounts, restore data from device backups stored in iCloud, and when Apple senses that someone is logging into an iCloud account from a new device. Apple will also expand its use of "two-factor authentication," a security method that requires users to enter a separate, one-time use code to enter along with their usernames and passwords.

Currently, Apple's two-factor authentication only kicks in when users sign into their iTunes account from a new device, or when they log into their Apple ID account online. Now, the option will be available for logging into iCloud accounts from a mobile device, too.

The steps are in line with recommendations that security researchers and experts offered even before the hack began raising questions about Apple's security procedures. Many in the security community have said Apple should offer more security options to protect its cloud data. Not many consumers turn on extra protections like two-factor authentication, because it slows down the login process. But it is becoming an industry standard to offer these kinds of options.

Google allows users to turn on two-factor authentication measures each time they log in. Twitter has a security option that requires users to approve all log-ins, which they can do using the company's official mobile app. Others, such as Dropbox, Evernote or Bank of America, also give users the option to get a text message with one-time use codes each time they log in.

Cook said in the interview that he doesn't think Apple has been lagging behind competitors when it comes to security but admitted that the company could have done a better job of letting people know the steps they could take to protect their data. "When I step back from this terrible scenario that happened and say what more could we have done, I think about the awareness piece," he said. "I think we have a responsibility to ratchet that up. That's not really an engineering thing."