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Thursday 10th January 2008

Unlocked iPhones at risk from trojan 9:58AM, Thursday 10th January 2008

Newly discovered malicious software is capable of deleting legitimate applications from unlocked iPhones, warns security firm F-Secure.

The trojan contains false installation information that causes other applications to be removed when the trojan is uninstalled, the firm says. The threat was first reported on ModMyiPhone.

F-Secure

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says this discovery should alert iPhone owners to the dangers of unlocking iPhones using a method that exploits a security flaw.

"Hopefully this serves as a warning for those who have opened their iPhones using a security hole in the system and then installing unverified software without a second thought to what they are doing," says Jarno Niemela on the F-Secure website.

"This time it was an 11-year-old kid playing with XML files who created the trojan. Next time it might be someone else with more skills and with a specific target," Niemela warns.

A popular iPhone hack relied on a vulnerability in the handling of TIFF images, which Apple soon fixed. However many users will not have applied Apple's patch, knowing that it is likely to relock their phone.

Simon Aughton

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