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Is Your iPhone Hackable?
Sometimes we find that new technology adoption rates can greatly exceed new technology maturation rates. In the case of the iPhone, while product is flying off the shelf, there may be some scary flaws needing resolution, and while I doubt any such issues will drive away the legions of fans, it is important to know what the risks are so you can protect your data.
The most recent security flap is, uncharacteristicly, not with the new version of Windows, but with the iPhone. Well the ’staggering’ truth may not be quite so scary as all of that, but it is an interesting and worthy story nonetheless. Basically, if you leave your iPhone lying around and someone who happens to have a laptop handy running Ubuntu “Lucid Lynx” 10.04 picks it up, they can bypass all security and see everything on your iPhone. Now, while that is sort of scary, it is a bit of a stretch to imagine hordes of potential hackers arming themselves with Linux laptops and hunting around for loose iPhones so they can see your vacation pictures.
Still, Apple needs to plug this flaw in its product. If you own one, don’t panic. If you see any questionable characters with well used laptops eyeing your iPhone while you sit at the Starbucks, don’t panic, don’t call the police, just think of it a bit like your wallet – if you leave it lying on the table, you are asking to lose the stuff in it. This is just another reminder that our mobile devices store things of value, just like our wallets, and deserve at least the same amount of care! Don’t leave them lying around, think about what you are storing on them, and for gods sake, don’t loan them to Linux OS weilding laptop owners!
Happy (mobile) computing!
Richard Brunke
