A new worm has infected hundreds of jailbroken iPhones in the Netherlands that does more malicious things than extorting users €5 or rickrolling them. Jailbreaking is the process where users install unofficial code on their iPhones to bypass the App Store to install and run applications not sanctioned by Apple.
According to AppleInsider, the worm “can allow remote access and control without the owners knowledge or permission,” and targets jailbroken iPhone owners from the Netherlands who use the website ING Direct. The worm is said to have botnet capability and connects to a server in Lithuania.
Apple’s response, through its spokesperson, Natalie Harrison, was:
The worm affects only a very specific set of iPhone users who have jail broken their iPhones and hacked it with unauthorized software. As we’ve said before, the vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones, and for good reason. These hacks not only violate the warranty, they will also cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably.
Security firm, Intego, was more direct in its warning:
We would like to stress that users who jailbreak their iPhones are exposing themselves to known vulnerabilities that are being exploited by code that is circulating in the wild. While the number of iPhones attacked may be minimal, the amount of personal data that can be compromised strongly suggests that iPhone users should stick with their stock configuration and not jailbreak their devices.
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#1 by Lyle on 11/25/2009 - 1:02 AM
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If the user does not know what he is doing. It is best to keep the stock configuration and not jailbreak the phone.
Jailbreaking, with all its faults and vulnerabilities, has its benefits but it must be used cautiously.
There are very simple solutions to this worm and that is to change the default SSH password or simply turn off SSH when not in use.
#2 by Jim on 11/26/2009 - 9:19 AM
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The problem is, the jailbreak developers have made it so easy that all it takes is one or two clicks and then you’re done. This is contrary to what these developers and some proponents of jailbreaking are saying: don’t do it if you don’t know what you’re doing or what’s happening.
What’s there to know? Just download, install and click. If all jailbreakers knew what was happening to their iPhones when jailbroken then we wouldn’t have the worms. Apparently, this is not the case in Australia and the Netherlands.