Justin
Posts: 914 +1
<p>The security-conscious atmosphere that Apple likes to breed might be in danger. There have been numerous reports recently of a new vulnerability, dubbed the “iPhone SMS Virus”, that could result in the smartphone being compromised or remotely controlled. Hacker Charlie Miller released this so-called <a href="https://www.quickpwn.com/2009/07/iphone-virus.html" target="_blank">first iPhone virus</a> yesterday, six weeks after reporting the flaw to Apple. Giving it away to the public at a security conference in Las Vegas, this could prove to be a sticky situation for the Cupertino company if the implications are true.</p>
<p>Depending on your source, the potential damage this flaw could cause varies. Some go so far as to claim it could let remote users <a href="https://www.walyou.com/blog/2009/07/30/iphone-sms-hack-iphone-virus/" target="_blank">make calls with</a> your phone, pilfer data from it or even more. What makes it especially scary is that it can be spread completely via SMS messaging, requiring no intervention on a user's behalf. An iPhone can be compromised through specific crafting of malicious text messages, most of which would be hidden to the victim.</p>
<p>Though unofficial patches have reportedly surfaced, there has been no official response from Apple on what the flaw entails and how long users will have to wait for a fix. I wouldn't personally suggest installing third-party software, and would instead hope that Apple comes up with an official response – either dispelling this as hyped nonsense or confirming it as a danger and offering a solution. Interestingly, one of the most plausible-sounding do-it-yourself fixes requires having a jailbroken iPhone, which can let you disable the messaging application on the iPhone without removing it.</p><p><a rel='canonical' href='https://www.techspot.com/news/35660-first-ever-iphone-virus-spreads-via-sms.html' target='_blank'>Permalink to story.</a></p><p class='permalink'><a rel='canonical' href='https://www.techspot.com/news/35660-first-ever-iphone-virus-spreads-via-sms.html'>https://www.techspot.com/news/35660-first-ever-iphone-virus-spreads-via-sms.html</a></p>