An international hacker team from the Netherlands and Morocco has identified a flaw in Apple's iCloud system and activation lock feature on iOS devices, making stolen iPhones easy to sell in black markets.

A pair of hackers has developed a tool that can bypass Apple's iCloud activation lock, the kill switch for the iPhones that renders them useless when stolen. The duo, who identifies itself as @AquaXetine and @MerrukTechnolog on Twitter, calls the invention "doulCi" and claims it can help users bypass and activate an iOS-based device if stuck on an activation screen. While the tool can be useful for some Apple users, it can also be reactivate stolen iPhones so they can be sold in the black market.

The hackers pulled off the feat by placing a computer between the iPhone and Apple servers and tricking the iDevice into thinking that the hacker's computer is one of Apple's servers, MacRumors reports. While the news publication thought the hackers used a SSL bug to manipulate the iCloud activation lock, they denied using the suggested method.

@AquaXetine further shared an image on Twitter that revealed more than 12,000 devices bypassed the iCould activation lock in just 5 minutes.

According to a report from the Dutch-language publication De Telegraaf, the hackers worked on the exploit for five months and have no intentions of monetary gains. In fact, the duo only wanted to convey the message that the iPhone and iCloud online storage is not safe.

The report said that the hackers informed Apple about the vulnerability in late March but received no acknowledgement. Hence, the pair decided to go public with their discovery.

In the wake of the latest discovery, Evad3rs team member and long-time hacker MuscleNerd pointed that the hack only made a locked iPhone access the media but did not unlock the signal. In a response to one of the followers, hacker @AquaXetine said the "carrier fix is coming to[o]."

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