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Criminals target smartphones (warning for Jailbroken iPhone users)


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Old 05-04-2011, 12:42
Darth-Habib
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Please can we not turn this into another iPhone is better/worse than Android phones debate.

According to Symantec, known vulnerabilities in mobile operating systems rose from 115 in 2009 to 163 in 2010.

In several cases, the security holes were exploited and used to install harmful software on Android handsets - suggesting that criminals now view smartphone hacking as a potentially lucrative area .

At least six different varieties of malware were discovered hidden in applications that were distributed through a Chinese download service.

"It is something we have started to see happen, albeit on a small level," said Orla Cox, security operations manager at Symantec.

"It allows people to do a variety of things from intercepting SMS messages to dialling toll numbers. They have opened up the possibility of what is there."

Several pieces of malware were also found on iPhones, however only devices that had been "jailbroken" to bypass Apple's security were affected.

The company's process of pre-vetting all new applications is believed to have spared its devices from a major attack.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12967254
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Old 05-04-2011, 13:22
IvanIV
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While the approval process for iPhone apps prevents installing some dodgy applications, there are things like Safari exploits. And then it does not matter if your iPhone is JB or not.
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Old 05-04-2011, 16:00
david.boobis
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While some could argue that the presence of malware in apps is disturbing, the fact is that as on PCs, you'll only have your phone hacked if you're downloading shovelware or doing dodgy things on the internet. The only exploit that has been found to leave people vulnerable regardless of what they were doing is when people install SSH on their jailbroken iPhone and don't change their root password. The rules for safe internet use are the same everywhere - change passwords regularly with different passwords for each account, don't open any emails from people you don't know, don't reply to any emails asking for login information or card details, don't click on links from sites you don't trust, and don't download or install software from companies you don't trust. Do these things and you'll never get malware or a virus.
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Old 05-04-2011, 16:05
psionic
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While some could argue that the presence of malware in apps is disturbing, the fact is that as on PCs, you'll only have your phone hacked if you're downloading shovelware or doing dodgy things on the internet. The only exploit that has been found to leave people vulnerable regardless of what they were doing is when people install SSH on their jailbroken iPhone and don't change their root password. The rules for safe internet use are the same everywhere - change passwords regularly with different passwords for each account, don't open any emails from people you don't know, don't reply to any emails asking for login information or card details, don't click on links from sites you don't trust, and don't download or install software from companies you don't trust. Do these things and you'll never get malware or a virus.
Indeed. If you use SSH and leave your root password as 'alpine' you're asking for trouble.
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