The First iPhone Virus Targets Unsecured Jailbroken iPhone

The World's First iPhone Virus In the previous post, I urged every jailbroken iPhone user to change the root password to avoid any malicious attack via SSH. Yesterday, it’s reported widely in the blogsphere that the world’s first iPhone virus debuts. And this virus targets to infect those unsecured jailbroken iPhones with SSH enabled and which are still using the default root password (i.e. alpine).

Despite it’s classified as a virus, it does not do any harm on the infected iPhone. The worm only changes the home screen wallpaper to an image of 1980s pop star Rick Astley and displays the message “Ikee is never gonna give you up”. Then it starts to replicate itself by looking up other vulnerable iPhone around. This process goes on and on.

The virus is created by an Australian hacker, as he told ABC online. The hacker mentioned the primary purpose of the virus is to raise the issue of iPhone security. Other than changing the wallpaper of home screen, the virus does not come with any malicious intent. But as he said, the virus can actually do anything as it already gains the root access:

“I think to raise awareness for one, somebody with more malicious intent could have done anything – read your SMSs, go through your emails, view your contacts, photos – anything,”

Is spreading a virus the best way to raise every iPhone users’ awareness of security? I don’t think so. But this virus does generate lots of attention and covered widely around the Internet.

Anyhow, if you’re using jailbroken iPhone (esp. with OpenSSH installed), please take action – Follow this guide to change the default root password. This can secure your iPhone from malicious attack.

Don’t wait. Act now!

[image via Tuaw]

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Tagged as: iPhone, iPhone Hack, jailbreak-iphone, OpenSSH, ssh

{ 6 comments… read them below or add one }

1 Lilith Antioquia-Guinto November 11, 2009 at 5:11 am

Simon, how about if I dont have an OpenSSH installed, Am I still safe from the virus? Thanks.

2 Simon Ng November 12, 2009 at 12:35 am: @Lilith, it’s safe. The virus makes use of SSH to spread itself.

3 Alex Chai November 11, 2009 at 9:25 am

if openssh is disabled in the iphone via sbsettings, will the phone still be vulnerable?

4 Simon Ng November 12, 2009 at 12:31 am: @Alex,

If openssh is disabled, you’re not vulnerable to the attack.

5 Matt November 12, 2009 at 9:07 pm

Well, I’m in Australia and on Optus, and got this virus on Sunday night. It only took a minute or two to get rid of it and then another minute or two to change the passwords. Kudos to the virus writer for bringing attention to it, I say. Lesson learned. Oh and thanks also for the sweet photo of Rick Astley, haha.

6 Frank November 20, 2009 at 11:18 pm