Apple is hard at work to patch a serious vulnerability that could allow a hacker to perform malicious acts unknowingly on the iPhone platform. The attack, which hasn't been described in detail, works when the attacker sends the victim an SMS that could cause the phone to run malicious code or programs without the phone operator's permission.
"The SMS vulnerability allows an attacker to run software code on the phone that is sent by SMS over a mobile operator's network. The malicious code could include commands to monitor the location of the phone using GPS, turn on the phone's microphone to eavesdrop on conversations, or make the phone join a distributed denial of service attack or a botnet"
The good news is that the person who discovered the vulnerability, Charlie Miller, has been working with Apple and he will not discuss in detail the vulnerability until Apple has patched the exploit. This is a good step because if this exploit reached those with malicious intent, millions of iPhone users' phones could be compromised very quickly because of how fast text messages spread.
Neowin recently reported that Apple has delivered the next beta of the iPhone OS to developers which may include a patch for this exploit. Apple is currently working to amend the problem so there is no need to worry if you're an iPhone user but as Apple's market share grows more and more people will start looking to attack the iPhone.
(waiting for the fanboys to comment) :-)
(waiting for the fanboys to comment) :-)
It's Mac, not MAC... If you are going start a troll / flame fest at least spell the item you are insulting correctly.
I've heard of only 2 or 3 critical security flaws on the iPhone so far since its very first release. The first one was pretty dangerous and stupid in fact, and was fixed pretty quickly. But dude, for something that has now thousands and thousands of applications and a complete SDK and for something that became popular so quickly, I'm really thrilled by the security of OS X Mobile so far. 2-3 critical issues in more than 700 days is great. You know, just by creating the SDK and by (not really fixing) jailbreak flaws, Apple is putting nearly no chance on their side, but they've still succeeded in delivering something solid.
(waiting for the fanboys to comment) :-)
It looks like you took care of being the first fanboy in your first post.
(waiting for the fanboys to comment) :-)
It's Mac, not MAC... If you are going start a troll / flame fest at least spell the item you are insulting correctly.
baaaaaaaaa
(waiting for the fanboys to comment) :-)
It's Mac, not MAC... If you are going start a troll / flame fest at least spell the item you are insulting correctly.
Wow! I can't believe this! You missed one! It's "iPhone" not "Iphone".
(waiting for the fanboys to comment) :-)
It's Mac, not MAC... If you are going start a troll / flame fest at least spell the item you are insulting correctly.
It's spelled just fine. The capitalization, however, is wrong.
If you're going to correct someone, at least use words correctly.
Sounds like a way to jailbreak.
The iPhone is a terriffic business tool, and actually a great phone to boot.
I appreciate your sentiment, but I don't care that some unrevealed potential vulnerability exists in the SMS framework. The odds of it being exploited before Apple fixes the issue are so minute, it's nothing to get worked up over.
Then again, I guess I never believed the "always solid, always works" image, so it's not like this is an eye-opener of any kind.
I have a Mac that has been subject to WAY more kernel panics than I ever had BSODs... but I still keep using it, because it's a computer tool that fits my work flow.
If it is the later... typical news over reacting putting panic in the public that has no reason.
A buffer overflow can be extremly armful (as far as the iPhone capabilities : it can not kill your dog or trigger a nuclear chain reaction, but erae it or access its whole content - but streaming 8 to 32GB of data takes a long time, even in 3G, at least, it can target your mails and phones numbers). But this is only in theory. Being able to write in unintended places is just the 1st step. You need to do something with this new memory content and you might not really be able to execute the code you've sent.
Not the phone, the OS.
There are however examples...jailbreaking! The 3G jailbreak is a hardware exploit (can't be fixed by software upgrades). The 2G jailbreak and unlock are hardware exploits. The 3GS jailbreak is a software exploit but I am sure a hardware exploit will surface eventually.
A directory traversing vulnerability in the Bluetooth OBEX-FTP server of Windows Mobile 6 allows attackers to access files outside of the permitted list. According to the report, using "../" or "..\\" as part of the path name, is sufficient to traverse to other directories. An attacker could use the technique to copy files from a device, or to install their own software, such as a key logger, or other spyware.
The only reason that people are freaking out about the iPhone is because more people have them... just because you dont hear about it doesnt mean that a phone doesnt have vulnerabilities.
My 6-year old cell phone has that functionality, cost me much less, no monthly royalties to my carrier, and doesn't overheat.
As with all Apple products, iPhone is in the marketplace with better and cheaper alternatives, don't kid yourself.
My 6-year old cell phone has that functionality, cost me much less, no monthly royalties to my carrier, and doesn't overheat.
As with all Apple products, iPhone is in the marketplace with better and cheaper alternatives, don't kid yourself.
They boast it as a new feature to the iPhone, which is pretty impressive since it only has that one button to work with, aside from the lock button. Say what you will, but there is a reason that many competitors are mimicking the iPhone's design and functionality.
I will be getting the G2 android phone when it comes out for my provider. All the apps are FREE for the G1 and G2 and there are THOUSANDS to choose from.
Wrong, not all of the apps for the G1 and G2 are free: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Android_Marke...ed_applications There are tens of thousands of apps (free and paid) for the iPhone as well, your point? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/App_Store#Milestones It seems that you and C_Guy don't understand what I mean about ease of use and end-to-end integration though. Perhaps you should look that up.
Last edited by roadwarrior on 02 Jul 2009 - 16:13
Get off your apple high horse. I never commented on the apple integration so dont assume I dont understand it.
I prefer things that actually work, and work well, as compared to flashy equipment. Say what you will about people more attracted to ease of use...whatever. I know lots of people with the iPhone and the iTouch who couldnt figure it out if their lives depended on it. They are more concerned about looking cool and dont come close to using all the features on the iPhone...not to mention that the iPhone seems to be having a lot of issues.
I will as soon as you get off your Anti-Apple trip and admit that your comment about apps was incorrect. I simply pointed out that the supposed advantage of the Android phones that you mentioned wasn't even accurate. Why is it so hard for you to believe that people might be attracted to the iPhone for reasons other than the looks?
As soon as you stop putting words and comments in to my mouth, I will admit I was wrong...how is that?
It is mostly because of looks. Why would anyone pay twice+ more for something when another product works just as well, cheaper, and has more features.
Then those 'lots of people' must be handicapped in some major way. Or completely computer illiterate. Or fictional.
I pick the latter.
And we are back where we started. The reason people are willing to pay more for the iPhone (even though it really isn't that much more compared to similar phones) because of the ease of use and integration.
You can bet that the vulnerability is related with a overflow. (i.e. send more than the 160 character limit).
But i don't known a service and client that allow to send a overflowed SMS. So while in theory is possible to do it, but in a real world scenario is inviable.
The most curious about it is how Apple himself admit such mistake, may be the "forged sms" is only possible via direct and physic access to the cellphone, or you could say, a way to bypass the security and install unsigned software.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concatenated_SMS
$700? since when?
Well, he did say he had a 1st gen iPhone, so maybe that is what he is basing his information on (including information about the limitations of the phone).
I went to the US AT&T store and got the 1st Gen iPhone for $199 after the price drop (did not pay $700 for it) then I unlocked it and used it on the Rogers Wireless network here in Canada.
That's a good question. If iPhones can be turned into slaves in a botnet, then surely a worm could be developed which sends texts to everyone in your phone list, which in turn turns iPhones into slaves, and so on and so forth?
also does the user need to open the text message for it to work... or could it execute upon completely receiving the text message?
That's what shinji said... lol
I also wonder who else can activate your phone functions remotely... big brother may strike back ;0)
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