On your primary machines, you should have at least some form of local backup. I'm using Time Machine with a network drive. If my primary machine fails or gets wiped (whether I did it myself or someone obtained my iCloud password), I can still recover everything from the backup.
From the post:
> My password was a 7 digit alphanumeric that I didn’t use elsewhere.*
It sucks, but when you've got control of someone's iCloud account (email, and remote wipe of presumably their primary devices), you've put them in a tight spot. One of the many reasons that I use iCloud for my phone and iPad, but certainly not my primary machines (or email).
Rough night.