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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 26, 2009
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10

'Every iPhone in the World' at Risk Tomorrow

Text-messaging flaw could let hackers take over your mobile

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(Newser) – The iPhone’s text-messaging system has a dangerous flaw that hackers could exploit to take control of your phone, researchers say. They’ll reveal the trouble at a conference tomorrow, Forbes reports. So if you get a text with a “single square character,” turn off your phone right away—it could mean someone’s already trying to take advantage of the bug.

“Someone could pretty quickly take over every iPhone in the world with this,” says one of the experts. The bug could let the hacker control all the phone’s functions, including making phone calls and sending texts to other phones. Windows Mobile contains an analogous flaw, researchers say, and both Google’s Android phone and the iPhone had bugs that would allow hackers to disable their network connections—though Google has patched the problem.

iPhone fans await the first day of sales of iPhone 3GS in Tokyo, June 26, 2009.
iPhone fans await the first day of sales of iPhone 3GS in Tokyo, June 26, 2009.   (AP Photo)
An Apple iPhone.
An Apple iPhone.   (AP Photo)
An Apple iPhone 3GS.
An Apple iPhone 3GS.   (AP Photo)
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10 comments
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2-bits
Jul 29, 09 1:49 PM CDT
It's good that they are making this public, otherwise they'd just sit on it until it became issue. Trust me, I've worked at the sausage factory, I know what goes in them. :) Reply
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+2
texasaurus
Jul 29, 09 1:59 PM CDT
 Reply
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+16
IN RESPONSE:
2-bits
Jul 29, 09 2:15 PM CDT
ZOMG HACKS
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+5
TheInterested
Jul 29, 09 2:51 PM CDT
Is it asking too much to allow an Apple product's flaws speak for themselves without mention of the competitor's shortcomings? Reply
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-1
IN RESPONSE:
kyleleitch
Jul 29, 09 3:06 PM CDT
I agree, but I have a Windows Mobile phone and I wouldn't've known about the flaw there without this article :\
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iPhone • hacker • computer virus • bug • text message • computer security • Google Android • Windows Mobile • SMS

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