Alarm for Apple as Russian hacker publishes way to get in-app purchases for free

A Russian hacker has discovered an easy way to get in-app purchases on the iPhone and iPad for free.

The process is potentially damaging for Apple's iOS developers whose main revenue comes from the paid upgrades.

Users just have to download security certificates from the hacker's website and change a setting on your device's wi-fi connection.

The hacker, who calls himself ZonD80, also posted a video on YouTube announcing his method and explaining how to do it.

But the clip had been removed today and instead displayed a message saying it was no longer available 'due to a copyright claim by Apple, Inc.'

According to the Huffington Post, the Apple blog 9to5Mac has confirmed that the hack does work on several of its devices which run systems iOS3 to the up-coming iOS6.

For the time being, Apple will have some respite as Zon80's says his website will be unavailable for 'two or three days' because his servers are down.

The hacker's workaround comes days after it emerged that older versions of Apple's operating system, OS X, was being attacked by Java-based malware.

Apple have been unavailable for comment.