iPhone Security Issue Exposes Consumer Data
It is being reported that a security flaw in the iPhone allows unauthorized users to gain easy access to private contacts and e-mails even when the device is locked. The company has stated that they are working on the problem and that a solution is coming in the near future.
Credit: Apple
From Reuters:
Popular technology blog Gizmodo and an online forum run by the Mac Rumors site showed that it took only three taps to gain access to locked iPhones, which run the latest 2.02 iPhone software.
A spokeswoman said in an e-mail that Apple was aware of the problem and was readying a software update to fix it. In the meantime, she recommended users set the iPhone’s “Home” button to open up the phone’s iPod music collection rather than the phone’s “Favorites” menu.
The spokeswoman did not say when the software update would be made available.
The flaw could be seen as a momentary setback in Apple’s ambitious plans to compete against Research In Motion, whose BlackBerry smartphone has become a standard issue device in corporate businesses around the globe.
From InformationWeek:
IPhone security is a key issue in use of the device on corporate networks. Getting businesses to adopt the iPhone was a major focus in Apple’s release of version 2.0 of the iPhone operating system over the summer. Find out what 2,000 IT professionals told InformationWeek about their plans and priorities for securing their companies’ assets. Download the report here (registration required).
Nevertheless, security issues have arisen with use of the iPhone. InformationWeek, for example, reported potential security problems in using Apple’s tools for creating custom configuration files that can be used to provision large numbers of iPhones on an enterprise environment.
In addition, the iPhone Mail and Safari applications in July were found to be vulnerable to URL spoofing. Security researcher Aviv Raff reported the problem and recommended that users not click on links to get to trusted sites, like online banks; but rather type URLs in manually until the problem is resolved.
With Google’s Android platform set to enter the market, Apple will want to make sure that all problems with the iPhone are quickly taken care of. Thoughts?
Tags: 3G, Android, Antone Gonsalves, Apple, Blackberry, Gartner, Gizmodo, Google, Google Android, InformationWeek, iPhone, iPhone Issue, iPhone Photo, iPhone Picture, iPhone Problem, iPhone Security, Ken Dulaney, Locked, Mac, Mobile, Mobile Security, Mobile Web, Research in Motion, RIM, Security, Security Flaw, Touchscreen, Unlocked
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