Fergie's Tech Blog

Expert Calls Apple's iPhone 'Perfect Spying Device'

Richard Koman writes on CIO Today:

Hackers intent on unlocking Apple's iPhone for use with carriers other than AT&T -- and for using third-party applications -- exploited a bug in the device's handling of TIFF images. But that same bug can be used for far more nefarious exploits, renowned hacker HD Moore reported on his Web site, Metasploit.

Moore posted to the site an exploit that would allow a hacker to insert malicious code onto someone's iPhone to access the device's data. Because the flawed TIFF library is used by the iPhone's Web browser, e-mail program, and iTunes software Relevant Products/Services -- and because all of those programs run as root processes -- one of the iPhone's undocumented "features" is a gaping security hole.

posted by Fergie @ 10/17/2007 12:40:00 PM