iPhone Trojan Sign of Things to Come?

climber writes "Just days after the first scareware for OSX, researchers are pondering the problems of an iPhone exploit that could lead to larger issues. The Trojan pulls legitimate apps off the phone if you try to remove it, but it only infects iPhones that have 'been modified or opened through a security hole in the system.' Though this worm is more of an annoyance than anything else, it could be a proof of concept for a more serious attack. 'The fear is hackers may be experimenting and gathering research that will increase the dangers of a more malicious attack in the near future. It is clear at least one writer -- the author of this piece at Web Worker Daily -- thinks that the iPhone should be left on the dresser in the morning. She offers several reasons that the device isn't a good corporate tool.'"

Comments

What rock was she hiding under?

[dreamchaser]

She offers several reasons that the device isn't a good corporate tool.'"

It's not even a *bad* corporate tool. It's a consumer device and was never meant (in its current incarnation) to be used for corporate uses. You can't even get one if your AT&T number is registered via a business account. It's like saying "this plum isn't a very good orange."

Idiot.

Re:What rock was she hiding under?

[Anonymous Coward]

I'll bet you she's a good corporate tool.

Re:What rock was she hiding under?

[OECD]

It's a consumer device and was never meant (in its current incarnation) to be used for corporate uses.

Also, it does not toast my bread AT ALL evenly. I am sorely disappointed with my purchase!

Also, what does that link have to do with the rest of the summary?

Re:What rock was she hiding under?

[Bert64]

To support it? An iphone is a lot less hassle to support from a corporate perspective than other types of device such as blackberry...
It uses standard IMAP, with support for SSL.. Standard SMTP with support for TLS...
It can even VPN, using standard l2tp/ipsec.
You don't need any additional software, assuming you're running systems that support the appropriate standards. Yes, the iphone does have some shortcomings but being a hassle to support is not one of them. It's just a case of people being scared of what they don't know.

So FUD... and a non sequitur

[revscat]

'The fear is hackers may be experimenting and gathering research that will increase the dangers of a more malicious attack in the near future. It is clear at least one writer -- the author of this piece at Web Worker Daily -- thinks that the iPhone should be left on the dresser in the morning. She offers several reasons that the device isn't a good corporate tool.'

So the summary starts off being nothing more than FUD, and since that won't hold water descends quickly -- albeit nonsensically -- into a completely different topic.

I guess Zonk hates the iPhone. Or is looking for page views. Or something. *shrug* Whatever, none of this makes a lick of sense.

Re:So FUD... and a non sequitur

[Firehed]

Sounds about right. This so-called 'worm' is nothing more than a useless file - THAT YOU HAVE TO CHOOSE TO INSTALL - with a bad uninstaller script. It's about as much a worm as typing 'sudo rm -rf /' into the terminal because some stranger on the internet said it's a good idea (for the uninformed, it's a great idea, and definitely try it and give it your root password when prompted)*.

The only known actual exploit on the iPhone is the TIFF exploit that JailBreakMe.com uses for powers of good (which, while jailbreaking the phone, also patches the exploit it used to do so). People that didn't use that hack likely updated to 1.1.2 firmware, which also patches that hole.

No, it's (most irrelevantly) not a corporate blackberry replacement. It's not really perfect at anything, though I'll say that the solitaire game really lends it self fantastically to the touch interface. But unlike most multifunction devices which really half-ass everything, it does most things quite well and the sacrifices made are understandable and more importantly are not deal-breakers.

*Hey, I'm a stranger on the internet. What did you expect, candy?

trojans

[Anonymous Coward]

I was always taught that trojans were good things that you used so you wouldn't get viruses. Now you're telling me something different?

Curious

[Nom du Keyboard]

Curious how this only affects unlocked iPhones. Just who is that to the benefit of?

Wrong

[MBCook]

1. It is not a worm. That would require it to spread
2. Software installed on systems without privilege levels (like the old days of DOS or OS 7) is allowed to do anything... duh
3. This isn't a flaw with the iPhone. Apple's way of installing applications may prevent this kind of stuff

Anything that starts with "replace the firmware of your device with this hacked firmware" can obviously cause you problems.

Re:Stuffed shirts

[Ferzerp]

You do realize that in many (most?) cases, we are mandated by law to protect our information on mobile devices with passwords/encryption?

I'm a huge advocate of personal freedom, but on an enterprise-class mobile device, support for centraly managed policy is a MUST to comply with HIPAA, SOX, etc.

1984 does not apply to a corporate environment, sorry.

Doesn't this only support Apple's position?

[UnknowingFool]

but it only infects iPhones that have 'been modified or opened through a security hole in the system.'

Since the very beginning, Apple has told people not to hack the iPhone because it could endanger the functionality and security of the device. Those who did could suffer when Apple updated the firmware. Now it appears hackers have found a way to compromise the iPhone because it had been already been compromised. By the way, the first hack into the iPhone require physical access to the phone so it's not like you surfing in your coffee shop will get you a Trojan. Someone first has to steal your phone and then hack it for this Trojan to work remotely.

Dresser

[Fnord666]

From the summary

It is clear at least one writer -- the author of this piece at Web Worker Daily -- thinks that the iPhone should be left on the dresser in the morning. She offers several reasons that the device isn't a good corporate tool.'"

The author of the linked piece at Web Worker Daily said no such thing. In fact, the author didn't express a personal opinion one way or the other about the matter. The author was quoting a piecewritten by Benjamin Gray, who works for Forrester.

From the linked article

At least, that's the conclusion coming out of Forrester, whose analyst Benjamin Gray, lists 10 reasons why the iPhone is not yet ready to be an enterprise-class mobile device.

I will have to take the Web Worker Daily's word for it though, since I don't feel like ponying up $279 for a 6 page pdf.

"dangers of a more malicious attack"

[Schraegstrichpunkt]

The fear is hackers may be experimenting and gathering research that will increase the dangers of a more malicious attack in the near future. So the summary starts off being nothing more than FUD, and since that won't hold water descends quickly -- albeit nonsensically -- into a completely different topic.

No kidding. News flash: If the iPhone is vulnerable, then the "dangers of a more malicious attack" are already there. The solution is to fix the iPhone, not to bitch and fearmonger about "hackers ... experimenting and gathering research".

Re:"dangers of a more malicious attack"

[Tsiangkun]

This only affects unlocked iPhones, so I assume by "fix", that you mean use as intended ?

yes, but

[EmbeddedJanitor]

only if you roll it out on a banana like they showed you in sex ed class.

That's a problem I always had as a teenager. It was easy to keep a condom in your wallet, but the banana got squishy after a couple of days and made an embarrassing mess.

Re:SLASHDOT SUX0RZ

[PitaBred]

Is it a Firefox plugin or something? I can't seem to find any links on that page, just a picture of a gaping anus... help plz?

Re:Love the tags on this story

[e4g4]

In other news, analysts say that the XBox 360 isn't ready for primetime in the corporate market. "Out of the box, all it does is play games," said one IT professional, "it won't even let you check email without installing a rootkit called 'Linux'." A security expert from Microsoft was quick to point out that, "when used as intended - the XBox 360 is very secure. When running a software firewall called 'Halo 3' and operated by a security technician who has earned the much touted 'Legendary' certification, you can rest assured your data is safe from parasitic aliens from outer space." Another security professional was less avid: "I think for now, the 360 should stay in the living room."

If I had mod points...

[zieroh]

If I had mod points, could I mod the entire article down?