It arrived in a blaze of publicity and had frenzied gadget fans queuing for days before its launch last month. But just weeks after Apple's iPhone was unleashed on American shoppers, researchers say they have discovered how to hack into it and steal personal information.
Experts at Independent Security Evaluators, a computer protection consultancy, claim to have found a way to gain complete access to the phone, billed by its creators, Apple, as the mobile phone of the future. Researchers discovered the flaw after examining the way the iPhone connects to the internet. They say it is possible to hack in using the iPhone's wireless internet system, allowing full control of the phone, and accessing private information at will.
Charlie Miller, lead analyst at ISE, said it meant the handset was open to abuse. "
Within two weeks of part-time work we had successfully discovered a vulnerability," said a notice on the company's website. "
The compromised iPhone sent personal data including SMS text messages, contact information, call history and voicemail information over this connection ... we can get any file we want."
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