Hey, Check Out My New iHack

Only windows users need to worry about vulnerabilities and viruses... unless they use an iPhone. A team of consultants from Independent Security Evaluators, a company that tests various computer systems for vulnerabilities, announced that the iPhone can be hacked - big time. Users can, using the right methods or a web page with malicious code, take control of an iPhone and tap all of the data contained on it. They took less than a week to come up with the new way to unlock and commandeer the phone remotely.

Once the hole is exploited you are in complete control of the iPhone. Lynn Fox, a spokeswoman for Apple, was quoted as saying that "Apple takes security very seriously and has a great track record of addressing potential vulnerabilities before they can affect users.”

I.S.E. submitted its report to Apple Computer and recommended a software patch that could solve the problem. Apple seemed receptive to the feedback. Dr. Miller, a former NSA employee and now Principle Security Analyst for I.S.E. said, “[using the hack] We can get any file we want." He further added that the attack could be used to program the phone to make calls, running up large bills or even turning it into a "portable bugging device". Sweet!

We have to congratulate Apple for inventing a phone that actually seems to be the first one to have a serious (and of course very temporary) security risk to viruses and malicious code. For years it's been suggested that cell phones would be the next big item to be susceptible to these type of malicious computer attacks but until now it has mostly been theoretical.

If anything, the wild popularity and hype associated with the iPhone is what is responsible for making it such a target. After all, Macs aren't more secure than PCs - there simply are (95% or so) less of them, making PCs a much more interesting prospect for crackers.

I.S.E. said that it's goal was to discover vulnerabilities and warn companies so they could bolster their products and provide better protection for consumers. I'd say mission accomplished.