Major security flaw leaves iPhones vulnerable for SMS texting virus and other hacks

July 30, 8:31 AMiPhone Apps ExaminerSara Haley

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We knew it would only be a matter of time before someone came up with a virus or trojan or anything hazardous to our iPhones.  And now, a major security flaw is leaving our iPhones vulnerable to an SMS texting virus spreading through AT&T users--and it's not AT&T's fault.

What happens is your iPhone will receive a very strange or unusual text message.  If you see this message, immediately turn off your iPhone and restart it.  Although other mobile smartphones like the Android and HTC have experiences issues with trojans and security flaws, this iPhone virus is by far the worst of them all.  This virus is known to kill your iPhone altogether, so it's a major issue that hopefully, Apple will address as soon as possible.  As of this writing, there have been no patches released to fix this texting loophole.

What exactly does this virus do?  Well, first, let me clarify that it is NOT an actual virus--it's more of a hack, though many people are considering it a virus.  What happens is the SMS text message allows the hacker to gain control of your iPhone and essentially do whatever he wants to it--whether it be make phone calls, send MORE text messages, gain access to your contacts and whatever else they want to do with your information.  Everything on your iPhone is at risk with this security hole.

This security hack was demonstrated by two researchers at the recent Black Hat security convention, and researchers Collin Mulliner and Charlie Miller showed attendents how a simple text message could disable any iPhone and make it vulnerable to attack.  

There have been previous reports of a Safari security hole, which was also discovered by Miller, and this SMS texting issue was brought up to Apple about six weeks ago.  Why they have yet to release a patch or acknowledge the issue is beyond me, but unless they act quickly, hackers will have a hayday with our iPhones and the important information we store on it.

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