iPhone Hacking And Modding

There was a group of security consultants who said that they have discovered a flaw in the popular iPhone that may enable them to control the device.

They were researchers who worked for Independent Security Evaluators, which is a firm that assesses the computer security of their clients through attempting to hack it. They declared that they could manipulate the iPhones using a Wi-Fi connection or through deceiving the users to access a website with malicious code. Their attempted hack enabled them to go in and retrieve the information in the phones.

Charles Miller, the firm's principal security analyst said that even though Apple has designed security measures with the iPhone, "once you did manage to find a hole, you were in complete control." The said firm then informed Apple of the susceptibility of the device and offered a software patch to correct the issue.

Apple spokesperson Lynn Fox declared, "Apple takes security very seriously and has a great track record of addressing potential vulnerabilities before they can affect users."

"We're looking into the report submitted by I.S.E. and always welcome feedback on how to improve our security," she further stated. It also has been reported that there are no pieces evidence to support the rumors that this error has been taken advantage of or that there are already affected users.

There was also a National Security Agency ex-employee, Dr. Miller, who demonstrated the hack through visiting a website he designed using the web browser on his iPhone.

Once there, the website he designed installed some codes into the iPhone, which controlled the phone. It then followed directions to send files to the bad computer, such as contact information and text messages.

"We can get any file we want," he then said. He also added that hacking could potentially be utilized to run up large bills through programming the phone to contact numbers and make calls and possibly making it function as a bugging device on the go.

A Computer Science professor at Columbia University, Steven M. Bellovin, stated, "This looks like a very genuine hack." Being an expert in computer security at AT&T Labs Research, pointed out that the susceptibility of the iPhone to hacks was an expected outcome of the fusion of computing and telephony.

"We've been hearing for a few years now that viruses and worms were going to be a problem on cell phones as they became a little more powerful, and we're there," he declared. He then noted that the iPhone is a computer, "and sure enough, it's got computer-grade problems."

He expressed his suspicion that Windows OS-based mobile phones might have similar issues, although he has not yet heard of such concerns.

"It's not the end of the world; it's not the end of the iPhone," he noted. "It is a sign that you cannot let down your guard. It is a sign that we need to build software and systems better."