Cell Phone Security
iPhone Turned into Pocket-Sized Hacking Platform
It turns out all iPhone applications run as root and any application vulnerability means winner takes all.
The iPhone has been turned into a “pocket-sized … network-enabled root shell,” said H.D. Moore, thanks to the well-known security researcher having published shell code and instructions for the smart phone on how to use it as a portable hacking platform.
Besides publishing shell code, Moore revealed multiple security chasms on Apple’s device: The first and most shocking is that each and every process running on the iPhone—from the mobile version of Apple’s Safari browser to its mail client and even the phone’s calculator—all run with full root privileges. What that means: A security vulnerability in any iPhone application can lead to complete system takeover.
Now that the iPhone has been out for months, is the desire to hack it still at a fever pitch? Miller said that given how much personal information an attacker can shake out of the device, “It probably is something people should worry about.”
