Reuters:
A software flaw in Apple Inc’s iPhones and iPads may allow hackers to build apps that secretly install programs to steal data, send text messages or destroy information, according to an expert on Apple device security.
Here is a video from the researcher Charlie Miller:
Reuters’s rewrite of Forbes’ article did not mention that Android is also susceptible.
Technically, Android is *more* susceptible, since an attacker on iOS would have to get his app into the App Store in the first place, and now Apple knows what to screen for to find this exploit before it gets in the store. Android users could always side-load apps that do similar things.
FWIW, we have a more technical explanation of the flaw on Ars: http://arst.ch/rik
Apple kicked Charlie Miller out of the developer program for this and imo rightly so. It’s one thing to work with Apple on something like this but an entirely different matter to see if you can do it and then report it to Apple.
http://news.cnet.com/8301-27076_3-57320190-248/apple-boots-security-guru-who-exposed-iphone-exploit/
I read a nice little timeline and commentary about this on Dave Chartier’s site and I can only agree; he got what he deserved.
I wonder if his five minutes of fame were worth it?
According to The Verge, the iOS 5.0.1 update released today patches this vulnerability.