Apple's Computers Attacked by Hackers

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Apple Inc. AAPL -0.04% said some employee computers were infiltrated by hackers, adding to the wave of companies recently reporting cyber attacks.

The company said in a statement Tuesday that the issue affected a "small number" of Mac users and it hadn't found any evidence that customer data had left Apple. A person familiar with the matter said the malware was the same that was used to target Facebook Inc., FB +2.26% which some security experts said last week appeared to be traced back to China.

"The malware was employed in an attack against Apple and other companies, and was spread through a website for software developers," the Apple statement read.

Apple said it is working with law enforcement to find the source of the malware and would release a software update to protect Mac users. The malware worked by targeting a software plug-in.

An Apple spokesman declined to comment about the timing of the attack.

In its statement, Apple said the malware targeted the Java plug-in for browsers. It noted that Apple's Mac operating system disables Java if it hasn't been used for 35 days.

Facebook last week disclosed that it was targeted by a sophisticated hacking attempt that hit several laptops on the company's network. That company also said there was no evidence user data was compromised.