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iPhone Trojan Sign of Things to Come? 151

Posted by Zonk from the im-in-ur-iphone-removin-ur-apps dept.
climber writes "Just days after the first scareware for OSX, researchers are pondering the problems of an iPhone exploit that could lead to larger issues. The Trojan pulls legitimate apps off the phone if you try to remove it, but it only infects iPhones that have 'been modified or opened through a security hole in the system.' Though this worm is more of an annoyance than anything else, it could be a proof of concept for a more serious attack. 'The fear is hackers may be experimenting and gathering research that will increase the dangers of a more malicious attack in the near future. It is clear at least one writer -- the author of this piece at Web Worker Daily -- thinks that the iPhone should be left on the dresser in the morning. She offers several reasons that the device isn't a good corporate tool.'"
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iPhone Trojan Sign of Things to Come? More

iPhone Trojan Sign of Things to Come?

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  • What rock was she hiding under? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dreamchaser ( 49529 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @03:48PM (#22071188) Homepage Journal
    She offers several reasons that the device isn't a good corporate tool.'"

    It's not even a *bad* corporate tool. It's a consumer device and was never meant (in its current incarnation) to be used for corporate uses. You can't even get one if your AT&T number is registered via a business account. It's like saying "this plum isn't a very good orange."

    Idiot.

    • Re:What rock was she hiding under? (Score:4, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @04:04PM (#22071396)
      I'll bet you she's a good corporate tool.

    • It's not even a *bad* corporate tool. It's a consumer device and was never meant (in its current incarnation) to be used for corporate uses. You can't even get one if your AT&T number is registered via a business account. It's like saying "this plum isn't a very good orange."

      I don't know about your world, but in my world I use what I buy wherever I want, without permission from corporate overlords who insist my device is only for specific purposes.

      It's like saying "this plum isn't a very good ora

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by mh1997 ( 1065630 )

        I don't know about your world, but in my world I use what I buy wherever I want, without permission from corporate overlords who insist my device is only for specific purposes.

        Of course I didn't RTFA, but I would guess is that they meant it shouldn't replace a crackberry as the standard corporate multifunction tool.

        A corporation may not tell you what to use and where (although they can and do), but try taking it into a courtroom or other "sensitive" area and you will quickly find out that you cannot use wh

    • Re:What rock was she hiding under? (Score:5, Funny)

      by OECD ( 639690 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @04:06PM (#22071422) Journal

      It's a consumer device and was never meant (in its current incarnation) to be used for corporate uses.

      Also, it does not toast my bread AT ALL evenly. I am sorely disappointed with my purchase!

      Also, what does that link have to do with the rest of the summary?

      • Goes to show, the way to be virus-proof is to capture less than 20% of users (who bothers to ignore the 80% and go for the 20?) If there was a similar, but far more popular device, I'll bet the apple crowd would be happily touting the virus-proof iphone as their competitor sufferred attacks. Bad as Microsoft code is, it's the popularity that makes people attack it, similar to a trapper laying rabbit traps in a field, instead of bear traps. Far more rabbits, even if the bear's a juicier target.

        • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

          by mini me ( 132455 )
          Linux has somewhere around 40% market share for servers. Apache has 60% market share for web servers. So, I guess that explains why all the server and web server viruses are for Linux and Apache. Oh wait...

    • Re:What rock was she hiding under? (Score:4, Interesting)

      by arminw ( 717974 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @04:10PM (#22071466)
      .....It's a consumer device and was never meant.....

      True, but even so, many executives have bought iPhones and ordered their reluctant IT dept. to support them. When the big boss speaks, most underlings do listen and try to please him/her. So, IT folks out there, you might as well figure on supporting the iPhone, even if Apple doesn't market it for corporate users. The big boss may come in sooner than you figure and DEMAND support for his/her shiny new iPhone.

      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by Cro Magnon ( 467622 )
        Same Old Stuff. IT should be used to supporting stuff that isn't ready for the Enterprise *cough*Windows*uncough*

        • Re:What rock was she hiding under? (Score:4, Insightful)

          by arminw ( 717974 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @05:15PM (#22072362)
          ....... IT should be used to supporting stuff that isn't ready for .....

          But isn't that the fun and interesting part of an IT job. Coming up with clever solutions that others have not already thought of and pre-chewed and partially digested is what makes the life of a real engineer challenging and fun. This includes supporting Windows, possibly in ways and with methods the folks in Redmond have not even dreamed up yet.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by SatanicPuppy ( 611928 ) *
        Like most of us are in a situation to make things like that compatible with existing systems?

        Whenever someone comes to me with that sort of demand, I tell 'em I'll be glad to support it, whenever they buy the software/hardware appliance/developers license/whatever that I'll need to run to support it. And I am happy to do that, because that does fall under the realm of things that I can do, unlike waving the magic compatibility wand and recoding interfaces to support a platform that only just released a real

        • Re:What rock was she hiding under? (Score:5, Interesting)

          by Bert64 ( 520050 ) <.moc.eeznerif.todhsals. .ta. .treb.> on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @05:10PM (#22072300) Homepage
          To support it? An iphone is a lot less hassle to support from a corporate perspective than other types of device such as blackberry...
          It uses standard IMAP, with support for SSL.. Standard SMTP with support for TLS...
          It can even VPN, using standard l2tp/ipsec.
          You don't need any additional software, assuming you're running systems that support the appropriate standards. Yes, the iphone does have some shortcomings but being a hassle to support is not one of them. It's just a case of people being scared of what they don't know.

          • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

            by Anonymous Coward
            I assume you've never seen or used a BES (Blackberry Enterprise Server) in a medium or large corporate environment.
            Maybe the iPhone is easier if your corporation is less than 10 users and John is your trusted IT guy. Do that many companies really allow direct access to POP/IMAP/SMTP from the random internet to the corporate email system? You can fire up Thunderbird and connect to your companies email? Not a single place that I've worked has done that. Really.
            One person can maintain thousands of crackber

            • Re: (Score:2)

              by Bert64 ( 520050 )
              Yes, you have to buy, install and maintain the blackberry software and hardware to run it on, in addition to your existing email server.
              The iphone will work with virtually any existing mail server that supports imap, preferably with SSL.

              As to putting smtp directly on the net, everyone does that, that's how you receive mail from the outside.
              Putting imap directly on the net perhaps not, but as i said in the original post you can vpn... Even so, imap over ssl is no less secure than an https based webmail syste
              • "Yes, you have to buy, install and maintain the blackberry software and hardware to run it on, in addition to your existing email server.
                The iphone will work with virtually any existing mail server that supports imap, preferably with SSL."

                The point is that plain IMAP just doesn't cut it for corporate use. The place I work at uses Domino with BES, just about anything you can do in notes can be done on the blackberry. Can plain IMAP also handle syncing contacts and calendar entries?

                If something like Blackberr
          • Shrug. It was more of an example, though I admit I was thinking of that goddamn Blackberry mail server when I did the post.
      • Man, that is so true. Every project manager at my work is "forced" to carry a Blackberry, but most of them have their own personal iPhones. I tried to get some desktop support for my iPhone (just iTunes and the USB cradle) and was laughed at, but the first PM that asked for it got it. Most PMs use their iPhones by choice and their Blackberry only because they have to.
      • I keep seeing these anecdotes about executives buying iPhones and demanding support at work. I have yet to see anything but anecdotes. I work and interface with executives within several major corporations and have not seen one single iPhone, nor any talk about them. They are all addicted to their crackberries or windows mobile smartphones and could care less about trendy things like iPhones.

        Most director level and higher execs are rather hidebound. They don't rush out and grab the latest thing unless t

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by cbiltcliffe ( 186293 )
      I know lots of people that aren't good corporate tools, too, but they still work in corporations.
      Although I suppose I know a lot more people who in fact _are_ good corporate tools, so I guess it all balances out in the end.....

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by kellyb9 ( 954229 )
      This is an instance where I have to agree. Apple does a very good job of identifying specific problems and trying to create unique solutions for them. The iPhone was never designed for corporate use, maybe a future version will be, but at this point, it's a pretty stupid idea.

      I am by no means Mac user, but I have to admire their creation of the Macbook Air. Here's another example where they said - here's the problem, people traveling - lets create something to make this process easier. This is really one

    • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

      by Anonymous Coward

      You're right, but if you look at the reasons, most of them apply to a consumer device, too. (e.g. Lack of encryption is pretty wacked. The only reason Apple gets away with that in the market, is that their competitors are just as bad.)

      One of the big lessons of the iPhone is that today's phones suck. The iPhone sucks too. But the iPhone -- a device made by a personal computer maker -- has also sent a message that wasn't being heard before: phones don't have to suck. If PCs can be make non-sucky, why no

  • So FUD... and a non sequitur (Score:5, Insightful)

    by revscat ( 35618 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @03:50PM (#22071202) Journal

    'The fear is hackers may be experimenting and gathering research that will increase the dangers of a more malicious attack in the near future. It is clear at least one writer -- the author of this piece at Web Worker Daily -- thinks that the iPhone should be left on the dresser in the morning. She offers several reasons that the device isn't a good corporate tool.'

    So the summary starts off being nothing more than FUD, and since that won't hold water descends quickly -- albeit nonsensically -- into a completely different topic.

    I guess Zonk hates the iPhone. Or is looking for page views. Or something. *shrug* Whatever, none of this makes a lick of sense.

    • "dangers of a more malicious attack" (Score:5, Insightful)

      by Schraegstrichpunkt ( 931443 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @04:06PM (#22071430) Homepage

      The fear is hackers may be experimenting and gathering research that will increase the dangers of a more malicious attack in the near future.
      So the summary starts off being nothing more than FUD, and since that won't hold water descends quickly -- albeit nonsensically -- into a completely different topic.

      No kidding. News flash: If the iPhone is vulnerable, then the "dangers of a more malicious attack" are already there. The solution is to fix the iPhone, not to bitch and fearmonger about "hackers ... experimenting and gathering research".

      • Re:"dangers of a more malicious attack" (Score:4, Insightful)

        by Tsiangkun ( 746511 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @04:22PM (#22071598) Homepage
        This only affects unlocked iPhones, so I assume by "fix", that you mean use as intended ?

        • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

          by Your.Master ( 1088569 )
          I don't think "unlocked" is the right word for a hacked iPhone. They were hacked through a security hole. So by "fix" he may well mean "close the security holes". You know. Fix the security bug.

          Of course, people who hack it to hell and then don't ever upgrade again (in fear of bricking or whatever), their phones can't be fixed by their own actions.

          • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

            by die444die ( 766464 )
            That security hole has been closed for a while, which is why you can find people trying to downgrade their iPhones back to 1.1.1 which will reintroduce the security hole, allowing them to jailbreak their phones again. The phones were infected when users who had already intentionally jailbroken their phones downloaded a new application from an unsafe software repository.

    • So the summary starts off being nothing more than FUD, and since that won't hold water descends quickly -- albeit nonsensically -- into a completely different topic.

      Well, the second topic does make some sense as it shows that the writer of the article is someone with an obvious iPhone-hating bias.

      Still, the iPhone is a consumer product, not an enterprise tool, and even Apple itself markets it that way. That's why it doesn't have any of the features she mentions as being lacking in the iPhone. And there's nothing wrong with that. As a personal communications tool for consumer use, it's fine. As a corporate enterprise tool, it sucks.

      Maybe Apple will come out with a

    • Re:So FUD... and a non sequitur (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Firehed ( 942385 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @05:32PM (#22072556) Homepage
      Sounds about right. This so-called 'worm' is nothing more than a useless file - THAT YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE TO INSTALL - with a bad uninstaller script. It's about as much a worm as typing 'sudo rm -rf /' into the terminal because some stranger on the internet said it's a good idea (for the uninformed, it's a great idea, and definitely try it and give it your root password when prompted)*.

      The only known actual exploit on the iPhone is the TIFF exploit that JailBreakMe.com uses for powers of good (which, while jailbreaking the phone, also patches the exploit it used to do so). People that didn't use that hack likely updated to 1.1.2 firmware, which also patches that hole.

      No, it's (most irrelevantly) not a corporate blackberry replacement. It's not really perfect at anything, though I'll say that the solitaire game really lends it self fantastically to the touch interface. But unlike most multifunction devices which really half-ass everything, it does most things quite well and the sacrifices made are understandable and more importantly are not deal-breakers.

      *Hey, I'm a stranger on the internet. What did you expect, candy?

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by cmacb ( 547347 )

        Sounds about right. This so-called 'worm' is nothing more than a useless file - THAT YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE TO INSTALL - with a bad uninstaller script. It's about as much a worm as typing 'sudo rm -rf /' into the terminal because some stranger on the internet said it's a good idea (for the uninformed, it's a great idea, and definitely try it and give it your root password when prompted)*.


        Damn you!!
    • In case it isn't clear to someone why this is fud:
      The fear is hackers may be experimenting and gathering research that will increase the dangers of a more malicious attack in the near future.

      That is a pretty murky statement, much like something a psychic would say.

  • Stuffed shirts (Score:2, Insightful)

    by russotto ( 537200 )
    Yeesh. These guys give real meaning to the name "stuffed shirts". One disadvantage of the iPhone: with the competition, "users have little choice but to follow the corporate-mandated security routine." Blech. The prissy description of people trying to unlock the iPhone only confirms this. If they want a device which make 2008 feel more like 1984, I HOPE Apple's the wrong company to go to.

    • Re:Stuffed shirts (Score:5, Informative)

      by Ferzerp ( 83619 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @03:58PM (#22071306)
      You do realize that in many (most?) cases, we are mandated by law to protect our information on mobile devices with passwords/encryption?

      I'm a huge advocate of personal freedom, but on an enterprise-class mobile device, support for centraly managed policy is a MUST to comply with HIPAA, SOX, etc.

      1984 does not apply to a corporate environment, sorry.

      • Re: (Score:2, Insightful)

        by mckinnsb ( 984522 )

        You do realize that in many (most?) cases, we are mandated by law to protect our information on mobile devices with passwords/encryption?

        Yes. You do realize the FCC already checked to make sure that Apple was following the law [computerworld.com], right?
        Ok. I was just checking. Look- if your employees buy an iPhone and bring it to work, you don't have to support them joining the buisness network. If they complain, tell them that the company didn't furnish them with an iPhone and it was their personal telecommunications purchase decision. You sound like Apple should be sued for releasing a phone that was intended for personal use just because people decide

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by Ferzerp ( 83619 )
          I'm confused? What does FCC ok'ing the iphone as a radio device have to do with enterprise mobile devices?

          When I said "we are mandated by law," I was speaking as a corporate IT worker, and not as an individual.

          I was replying to a poster who was comparing IT security with the book 1984. There was no intent that anyone take it as anything but a statement saying that we really can't legally use iphones in that environment as they do not meet the minimum requirements that we must take to protect our data.

        • Re: (Score:2)

          by spun ( 1352 )
          Are you trolling or are you really that bad at reading comprehension? The GP was talking about SOXX & HIPAA, not FCC approval. And he was in no way implying Apple should be sued. He was stating that the iPhone is not set up to suit corporate environments because it can not be name/password protected and thus can not satisfy SOXX & HIPAA.

          • Re: (Score:2)

            by Knara ( 9377 )

            Also, I don't think you can brick the thing via centralized management, which is often a necessity for corporate devices.

      • I'm a huge advocate of personal freedom, but on an enterprise-class mobile device, support for centraly managed policy is a MUST to comply with HIPAA, SOX, etc.


        You mean the dictates of Minihealth and Minifinance? Like I said, I hope Apple's the wrong company.

  • trojans (Score:5, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @03:53PM (#22071242)
    I was always taught that trojans were good things that you used so you wouldn't get viruses. Now you're telling me something different?

    • yes, but (Score:5, Funny)

      by EmbeddedJanitor ( 597831 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @04:39PM (#22071828)
      only if you roll it out on a banana like they showed you in sex ed class.

      That's a problem I always had as a teenager. It was easy to keep a condom in your wallet, but the banana got squishy after a couple of days and made an embarrassing mess.

  • Curious (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Nom du Keyboard ( 633989 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @03:53PM (#22071250)
    Curious how this only affects unlocked iPhones. Just who is that to the benefit of?

    • Re: (Score:1)

      by xannash ( 861526 )
      If it only infects unlocked iPhones, then wouldn't it kind of make a person wonder as to WHO actually wrote the program to begin with. Funny that it won't infect phones that are following all of Apple's rules.

      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by 2nd Post! ( 213333 )
        It isn't funny, at all. By not releasing an SDK for 6 months, Apple had a host of volunteer security testers search for every exploit, overflow, and vulnerability on the device (which they promptly fixed).

        And of course, in the course of those six months, there are some people who have NOT patched their system against these vulnerabilities.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by samkass ( 174571 )
      Curious how this only affects unlocked iPhones. Just who is that to the benefit of?

      The people writing the exploits. No one else benefits.

      The "unlocking" is done through a buffer overflow vulnerability, which by definition is a security hole. If you've avoided the latest software updates because it "breaks" unlocking, what you're doing is avoiding the patch that "fixes" security.

      So yes, if you intentionally leave security vulnerabilities open in your computers, then intentionally install this software (it
    • Curious how this only affects unlocked iPhones. Just who is that to the benefit of?

      That is a clever spin to put on a story whose moral is that you should download software only from sources you trust. The unknown hacker who unblocked your phone isn't always your friend-in-need.

      Somewhat off-topic, but has it occurred to anyone here that services like Steam and XBox Live! are the models for trusted repositories of Windows software? That the "Linux advantage" of Click-And-Run could be very short-lived?

  • Wrong (Score:5, Insightful)

    by MBCook ( 132727 ) <foobarsoft@foobarsoft.com> on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @03:56PM (#22071286) Homepage
    1. It is not a worm. That would require it to spread
    2. Software installed on systems without privilege levels (like the old days of DOS or OS 7) is allowed to do anything... duh
    3. This isn't a flaw with the iPhone. Apple's way of installing applications may prevent this kind of stuff

    Anything that starts with "replace the firmware of your device with this hacked firmware" can obviously cause you problems.

    • Anything that starts with "replace the firmware of your device with this hacked firmware" can obviously cause you problems.

      Isn't that what Linux advocates have been asking Windows users to do for years.

      I best duck now, but the analogy is the same.

      • Re: (Score:2)

        by slyn ( 1111419 )

        Isn't that what Linux advocates have been asking Windows users to do for years.

        I best duck now, but the analogy is the same.

        Not at all.

        Linux isn't a firmware. So the "analogy" you have dies before it even stands up. If you fixed your statement to "replace the OS of your device with this hacked OS", that would still be wrong (assuming the popular usage of the word hacked). Linux isn't "hacked" windows. It's something completely different. The two might be of the same software phylum (os), but they have are o

    • Anything that starts with "replace the firmware of your device with this hacked firmware" can obviously cause you problems.

      I guess the idea is that the Apple Lockdown Experience that denies rightful owners of the iPhone the ability to run whatever code they wish specifically encourages hacks to open them up, and that these hacks are not inherantly secure so a malicious person can exploit it to their ends.

      You can either lock the door and have your bad guys force themselves in or you could open it to the public and put a bouncer there to keep trouble out and give the kids what they want.

      I reckon the SDK next month will pretty mu

  • I'm sure a Windows Mobile phone is more secure (Score:3, Insightful)

    by EmbeddedJanitor ( 597831 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @04:00PM (#22071338)
    NOT!

    If you think the Windows desktop/server security is bad you should see the Windows CE security! Again, MS have delivered an OS that was designed for a disconnected system (PDA) then tried to put a crappy fence around it to make it secure in a connected world. Too little, too late.

    As for trojans, well no matter what OS you run, a dumb enough user with sufficient priviledges can always run a trojan. Nothing new here!

    • Re: (Score:3, Funny)

      by UtucXul ( 658400 )
      Considering how often my Motorola Q (Windows Mobile 5) reboots, freezes, or loses the ability to make network (voice or data) connections, there isn't much time left for it to be vulnerable. If that isn't secure (for a Microsoft product anyway), I don't know what is. And, if the battery life gets any worse, I'll probably only have minutes a day where the phone can even be turned on, which will shorten the window of opportunity for malware to get at it even more,
      • Considering that when I went to the Sprint store and they said the Q had problems with freezing and network connections, I'm not surprised - but I don't believe that has anything to do with Windows Mobile. My HTC phone works fine with Windows Mobile. I'll give you the battery life point - though again that has less to do with Windows Mobile and more to do with the amount of radios and antennas drawing power from these super smartphones every second you have it powered on.
      • It is funny because it is true. My iPaq is gathering dust now that I have an iPhone.
    • I've run a Windows Mobile 2003 SE and now own a Windows Mobile 5 PPC in the three years I've owned either one I've never actually heard of a Windows Mobile virus/trojan/malware. In fact the only virus/trojan/malware for the mobile platform I have heard of was for the Symbian OS system that was a "proof of concept" virus which propogated itself via bluetooth (requiring the user to accept the incoming file, open it and then install it.)

      If the windows mobile platform is so insecure how come the media haven't

  • Doesn't this only support Apple's position? (Score:5, Insightful)

    by UnknowingFool ( 672806 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @04:01PM (#22071346)

    but it only infects iPhones that have 'been modified or opened through a security hole in the system.'

    Since the very beginning, Apple has told people not to hack the iPhone because it could endanger the functionality and security of the device. Those who did could suffer when Apple updated the firmware. Now it appears hackers have found a way to compromise the iPhone because it had been already been compromised. By the way, the first hack into the iPhone require physical access to the phone so it's not like you surfing in your coffee shop will get you a Trojan. Someone first has to steal your phone and then hack it for this Trojan to work remotely.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by elrous0 ( 869638 ) *
      That's what the faithless get for not believing in the Word of Steve. Question and ye shall perish, oh faithless heathens!! Repent, and Steve will forgive!
    • For versions before 1.1.2, all you had to do was visit the appTapp website and it would exploit you, hack your phone, and install the icon to allow you to install other apps. This was done via a image library exploit ... so ... all the person has to do is send you an email or get you to visit a malicious website and they can do the same crap without your phone using 'hacked firmware'.

      Of course, this is true for say ... oh ... every person on the internet at one point or another. Webbrowsers and email clie

  • Dresser (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Fnord666 ( 889225 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @04:04PM (#22071400) Journal
    From the summary

    It is clear at least one writer -- the author of this piece at Web Worker Daily -- thinks that the iPhone should be left on the dresser in the morning. She offers several reasons that the device isn't a good corporate tool.'"
    The author of the linked piece at Web Worker Daily said no such thing. In fact, the author didn't express a personal opinion one way or the other about the matter. The author was quoting a piece [forrester.com]written by Benjamin Gray, who works for Forrester.

    From the linked article

    At least, that's the conclusion coming out of Forrester, whose analyst Benjamin Gray, lists 10 reasons why the iPhone is not yet ready to be an enterprise-class mobile device.
    I will have to take the Web Worker Daily's word for it though, since I don't feel like ponying up $279 for a 6 page pdf.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by E-Rock ( 84950 )
      It isn't a business device, but then I don't really think that's what it was designed to do in the first place. The iPhone doesn't play well with corporate data. POP e-mail isn't even available as a pull service from some companies and there is nothing to sync calendar data. All these business articles are trying to pit Apple vs RIM, where I see them as very nice manufacturers that are in different markets. Currently...

  • Attack of the Weasels (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Bullfish ( 858648 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @04:17PM (#22071558)
    Sadly, this is another sign that as Apple products grow in popularity that they will attract the attention of the weasels. Whether or not the statements the weasels make hold any water, or whether or not the scares turn out to be true, the weasels are arriving.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by mini me ( 132455 )
      Luckily, history has shown us that as a product grows in popularity, something more obscure will appear that is better than the popular option. We (as in the /. community, people who typically aren't afraid to try new things) can all just move to it until it becomes too popular. Ad infinitum.

  • YAWN (Score:2)

    by SeaFox ( 739806 )

    It is clear at least one writer -- the author of this piece at Web Worker Daily -- thinks that the iPhone should be left on the dresser in the morning. She offers several reasons that the device isn't a good corporate tool.'"

    Ah, so the exploit means you should not use your iPhone at all.

    Oh, BTW, here's her little rant about how she thinks the iPhone is bad for business users. Not that it has any relation to the topic of iPhone exploits, just that she has you attention with a scaremongering article about iPh

  • Curious, I wonder if this exploit would also affect a jailbroken/"hacked" iPod Touch? Since they're running similar software, I would guess so.

  • She is right (Score:3, Funny)

    by geekoid ( 135745 ) <{moc.oohay} {ta} {dnaltropnidad}> on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @04:36PM (#22071788) Homepage Journal
    the blackberry is for the corporate tool.
  • Anything that is this popular, by nature, will attract viruses. This is definitely the tip of the iceberg, and it makes me wonder how much experience people at Apple actually have at preventing viruses, once the world at large cares enough to target them.
    • Do tell us more about this "security through obscurity" concept.

    • This is definitely the tip of the iceberg, and it makes me wonder how much experience people at Apple actually have at preventing viruses, once the world at large cares enough to target them.

      Oh yes, the tired old "security by obscurity" meme. Hasn't that been put to sleep as yet? OS X has been popular enough to have gained public mindshare and attract the attention of malware writers for some time now, and has attained a market share of about 8%. Why isn't it accounting for 8% of all infections? If it wer

  • .. the device can only check for new email every 15 minutes. If you're used to monitoring your new messages as often as you swallow, you may feel like you're constantly in a state of suspended animation. ... That means when meetings get rescheduled, you could miss notification.

    Poor, sad woman. Chuck your Crackberry in the bin and go on a long holiday.

    • Actually, when most people in a company are equipped with CrackBerries, people will send out stuff that has to be acted on within 15 minutes or it's useless. I admit that too many people are freaking addicted to devices but iPhone 15 minute pull email technology is too slow for business.

      • Actually, when most people in a company are equipped with CrackBerries, people will send out stuff that has to be acted on within 15 minutes or it's useless. I admit that too many people are freaking addicted to devices but iPhone 15 minute pull email technology is too slow for business.
        I think these businesses severely underestimate the importance of being able to do a few hours of uninterrupted work.
  • The metasploit attack, because that's a remote execute attack.

    The rest of the stories are all things like "oh my god, the iPhone is vulnerable to social engineering too!". Or "iPhone apps run as root, just like Pocket PC and Palm apps!".

    If the guy who submitted this article to Slashdot had the first bloody clue about security he'd have put the metasploit attack on the title and left everything else out.
  • What is the embedded-device equivalent of a full system backup?

    I don't have an iPhone, but if I ever acquire a device that complicated, I'd accept malware risks if all I had was some kind of a "device rollback": a way to periodically copy the device's software and firmware state. So once in a blue moon if your device is hosed, you plug in something to upload a previous unhosed state and you're back in business.

  • If I had mod points... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by zieroh ( 307208 ) on Wednesday January 16, 2008 @10:21PM (#22076128)
    If I had mod points, could I mod the entire article down?

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by zieroh ( 307208 )
      I found a close (albeit symbolic) solution: I tagged the article as "stupid" via the Firehose.

    • Re: (Score:2)

      by sootman ( 158191 )
      You know, it would be interesting if Slashdot let you do something like that--either use your mod points in the traditional manner, or use all five (maybe just 3) to mod down an actual article.
  • The damn thing runs as root. With a Unix heart and privilege separation part and parcel, they ignored it and pulled a Lindows. Running everything as root. The fact that it only got, so called jail broken phones is a ruse. Once something real goes live... all bets are off.

  • Oh. And. (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Swift2001 ( 874553 ) on Thursday January 17, 2008 @05:58AM (#22078718)
    When Apple said, "Hey, you find a security hole to install third-party software, we're going to have to close the hole," everybody yelled and screamed. Now someone's using the back door that the hackers found. Well, as Gomer used to say, "Surprise, surprise." I wonder if the new software update closes that hole.

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