Web Security News

iPhone may be vulnerable to SMS security flaw

Monday, July 6, 2009

Apple's iPhone 3GS may have a SMS flaw that could allow an attacker to remotely execute malicious code or hijack the device as part of a botnet, security researcher Charlie Miller said last week at a network security conference in Singapore, according to IDG News Service.

Miller, an authority on Mac OS X security and co-author of The Mac Hacker's Handbook, said he was able to use the vulnerability in the way the iPhone receives text messages to remotely crash the phone. Miller said he reported the vulnerability to Apple.

He said hackers could theoretically exploit the vulnerability to monitor the location of the phone using GPS, turn on the phone's microphone to eavesdrop on conversations or hijack the phone as part of a botnet or to launch distributed denial-of-service attacks, IDG News reported.

Miller also warned that "jailbreaking" an iPhone to add software or capabilities not offered by Apple leaves the device vulnerable to hacking and viruses.

"If you care about security, don't use a jailbroken iPhone," Miller said, according to IDG News.
ADNFCR-1765-ID-19251768-ADNFCR

Related News:

Network security concerns prompt postponement of Google phones in China - 1.20.2010
The Wall Street Journal reports that Google has decided to indefinitely postpone the launch of two of its Android smartphones to the Chinese market, which pundits have taken as further proof of the growing rift between the search giant and the Chinese government.

Cloud network security concerns prompt Microsoft to propose new laws - 1.20.2010
Microsoft's general counsel, Brad Smith, told an audience at the Brookings Institution today that the government should step in to regulate the emerging cloud computing industry and help protect businesses and consumers from fraud and abuse.

Network security experts unmask command servers behind Google attack - 1.19.2010
Researchers at VeriSign's iDefense lab have published a report claiming that the Chinese government was responsible for the recent large-scale cyber attacks that targeted Google and other U.S. companies.

Out-of-band IE patch to fix widespread vulnerability - 1.19.2010
Microsoft will issue a patch to its Internet Explorer browser software before its next scheduled update, intended to fix the flaw that enabled hackers to launch a damaging cyber attack on numerous U.S. companies.

France and Germany warn citizens to avoid using Internet Explorer - 1.18.2010
The governments of both France and Germany have issued official warnings to their citizenry, saying that, until Microsoft releases a patch for the widely-used Internet Explorer web browser, it is a threat to network security and should not be used.
View Related Resources
Or
Watch an Online Demo
Or
Have us call you now