Hackers to Reveal iPhone Security Hole
Posted: Wed Aug 05, 2009 3:55 pm
Hackers suggest that you turn off your iPhone if you get a suspicious text message.
Earlier this month we learned about a critical security flaw has been found in the SMS system for the iPhone that could remotely crash the device with a single text message.
It's believed that the security hole could pave the way for an attacker to run malicious code on the iPhone that would allow it to access the GPS, microphone or internet connection.
The security bug is unusual for the iPhone as most applications on the device run inside their own sandboxes, which should restrict them from tapping into portions of the device that it shouldn't be accessible. But for one reason or another, the SMS function isn't as protected and could give an attacker root access.
The security experts have already shared their findings with Apple, but the company has yet to release a patch or even indicate that a patch is on the way.
Whether Apple is ready or not, Mac OS X security experts Charlie Miller and Colin Mulliner plan to reveal the security hole plan on Thursday at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas.
If Apple doesn't release a patch soon, iPhone users should be on guard against receiving a text message containing a single square character.
"This is serious. The only thing you can do to prevent it is turn off your phone," Miller told Forbes. "Someone could pretty quickly take over every iPhone in the world with this."
Earlier this month we learned about a critical security flaw has been found in the SMS system for the iPhone that could remotely crash the device with a single text message.
It's believed that the security hole could pave the way for an attacker to run malicious code on the iPhone that would allow it to access the GPS, microphone or internet connection.
The security bug is unusual for the iPhone as most applications on the device run inside their own sandboxes, which should restrict them from tapping into portions of the device that it shouldn't be accessible. But for one reason or another, the SMS function isn't as protected and could give an attacker root access.
The security experts have already shared their findings with Apple, but the company has yet to release a patch or even indicate that a patch is on the way.
Whether Apple is ready or not, Mac OS X security experts Charlie Miller and Colin Mulliner plan to reveal the security hole plan on Thursday at the Black Hat cybersecurity conference in Las Vegas.
If Apple doesn't release a patch soon, iPhone users should be on guard against receiving a text message containing a single square character.
"This is serious. The only thing you can do to prevent it is turn off your phone," Miller told Forbes. "Someone could pretty quickly take over every iPhone in the world with this."
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