iPhone Hack Exposed: The Key Facts

As we reported earlier today, security experts Charlie Miller and Collin Mulliner have exposed an iPhone virus that could allow criminals to control your phone just by sending a single text message (SMS). Their presentation, at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, is making a lot of waves, but the details are scattered or overly technical for most iPhone owners.That’s why we’ve done some research on the information that has come out on this security vulnerability. The technical detail involved in the hack can be overwhelming, so we’re synthesizing it down to the key points – as well what you can expect. Don’t be alarmed, but be vigilant. Here’s the security breakdown:

1. The major issue is a security flaw involving SMS. Specifically, the hack can control an iPhone remotely, including your iPhone’s camera, Safari (), and more. It can even send messages to friends in your address book, which is where this hack becomes scariest.

2. The hack works by sending you code in an SMS message (or a series of messages) that crashes your iPhone. After that, your iPhone is theirs to use.

3. The offending text would come in the form of a single square character. If you get the square character, turn off your phone IMMEDIATELY.

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1. Apparently Google Android, Windows Mobile phones, and Palm Pres are vulnerable to similar hacks. The team demonstrated the attack on an Android () phone and a Windows Mobile phone.

via iPhone Hack Exposed: The Key Facts.

Scary new hack.