iPhone Hacks and threats to personal privacy

We've been amazed since it was first introduced. Who doesn't remember the address that was given by Steve Jobs of Apple when it was announced that he had invented the groundbreaking iPhone? Who wasn't awed by the gadget that could be used for browsing the internet and taking photos while listening to music, as well as placing and receiving calls? hcrewz.com

Nothing groundbreaking, right?

When the iPhone has launched hackers across North America started to dig into the underlying mechanisms that make this phone tick. The most important reason was to allow the phone to be unlocked so that users didn't have to sign up with AT&T however, you could sign up with any provider which supported the technology. However, could there be more malicious reasons to hack the iPhone?

The skilled hackers are now able to take their mobile phone to any carrier However, they can create and activate custom ringtones (without needing to spend money purchasing ringtones) Also, you can create custom wallpapers and more.

When hacking into the iPhone there were a few interesting tidbits learned, such as it is the case that the program installed on the iPhone is run under the name of "root" - in the Unix world, this gives users full and unrestricted access to the computer. It is possible to take down entire servers or chains of servers in the event that there is ROOT access on the Unix machine.

What does this mean for you, the typical person using the Apple iPhone that isn't planning to hack into their phones? There is a possibility that someone will hack your phone, and they have now the tools to accomplish it.

While Apple is striving to keep hackers out by playing games with cats and mice but it's always an old-fashioned cat and mouse game. If you go to a suspicious website that allows you to download software onto an iPhone you could be in lots of problems.

In an article from The New York Times Technology section published on June 23, 2007, an iPhone flaw was discovered to allow hackers to take charge of the iPhone. It is important to remember that the vast majority of people store the entirety of their lives on their digital assistants (whether it's an iPhone, a Smart Phone, the iPhone, or even a PDA). They save names and addresses, phone numbers as well as e-mail addresses. In addition, passwords, bank information (such as account numbers for banks), as well as digital images that are taken by the camera, are built into the device.

Imagine that a hacker could gain access to all of these data.

The security company, Independent Security Advisors found that by exploiting common vulnerabilities (and without accessing the device) they could gain unauthorized access to the phone's contents by using the use of a WiFi connection, or by fooling users into visiting sites that download malicious code to the phone.

The hack allowed the company to obtain a variety of personal information from the phone held.

Dr. Miller, who was an employee at the National Security Agency also demonstrated the hack by going on an online site that he designed himself and then putting malicious code into the phone. He then proceeded to send information to the computer that was attacked. Dr. Miller went on to explain that the hack may be used to set up the phone to call, thereby increasing the cost of phone calls for the user. Not to mention that the phone can be used to monitor individuals using it as an in-car bugging device be aware that it has an inbuilt camera.

What can you do to protect yourself? Like any other device, the rule of common sense must prevail. Avoid opening e-mails sent by people you don't have a connection with - If you do open them and they contain attachments, be sure to not open the attachments or go to the website of the person in the question.

Because Apple iPhone has automatic updates Make sure that you're iPhone is updated by visiting the official site of the manufacturer.

If you are very concerned about threats to your iPhone you may also want to visit the website [http://www.exploitingphone.com/], which is run by Independent Security Evaluators to stay on top of hacks and threats to your personal data on the iPhone.