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Wed, 11 Nov 2009 Intego claims hacker tool copies personal info from jailbroken iPhones

Intego claims the new worm is far more dangerous than the Ikee worm

Macworld staff

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Intego, which develops and sells desktop Internet security and privacy software for the Mac, claims to have spotted a hacker tool, which potentially copies personal info from users iPhones.

The news comes after the first iPhone worm, known as Ikee, was revealed, which simply adds Rick Astley wallpaper to jailbroken iPhone phones.

Intego claims the new worm is far more dangerous than the Ikee worm. This hacker tool, which Intego identifies as iPhone/Privacy.A, takes advantage of the same vulnerability in the iPhone as the Ikee worm, allowing hackers to connect to any jailbroken iPhone whose owners have not changed the root password.

"It is important to note that standard, non-jailbroken iPhones are not at risk; it is extremely dangerous to jailbreak an iPhone because of the vulnerabilities that this process creates," claims Intego, who believe 6-8 per cent of iPhones are jailbroken.

The tool reportedly allows a hacker to silently copy user data from a compromised iPhone including email, contacts, SMSs, calendars, photos, music files, videos, as well as any data recorded by any iPhone application insists Intego.

This new hacker tool gives no indication that it has invaded an iPhone warns the company.

"Hackers using this tool will install it on a computer - Mac, PC, Unix or Linux - then let it work. It scans the network accessible to it, and when it finds a jailbroken iPhone, breaks into it, then steals data and records it," insists Intego.

"This hacker tool could easily be installed, for example, on a computer on display in a retail store, which could then scan all iPhones that pass within the reach of its network. Or, a hacker could sit in an Internet café and let his computer scan all iPhones that come within the range of the wifi network in search of data.|

"Hackers could even install this tool on their own iPhones, and use it to scan for jailbroken phones as they go about their daily business," Intego adds.

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Comments received


Iain said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Simple to stop, turn SSH off when you're not using it.

CB said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Or don't jailbreak your phone in the first place

Ade said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

"takes advantage of the same vulnerability in the iPhone"

There is no vulnerability in the iPhone unless you intentionally make it vulnerable.

Kadoogan said on Wed, 11 Nov 2009

Not a problem if you just change the SSH root password from the default, and make it one that isn't simple to guess.

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