Apple patches iPhone SMS flaw

Vulnerability allows hackers to take control of the device remotely

Apple has released an update to fix an SMS vulnerability in the iPhone that allows hackers to gain control of the device remotely.

Security researchers Charlie Miller of Independent Security Evaluators and Collin Mulliner of Fraunhofer SIT have revealed the vulnerability at the Black Hat conference in Las Vegas, held on 30th July 2009. They demonstrated how hackers can take control over the iPhones remotely by sending special codes through SMS messages.

Apple has released iPhone OS 3.0.1, to fix the flaw. The company said that customers can download the patch onto their computers using iTunes and then install it on their iPhone.

The company has stated in its security note: “Receiving a maliciously crafted SMS message may lead to an unexpected service interruption or arbitrary code execution. This update addresses the issue through improved error handling.”

An Apple spokesman said: We appreciate the information provided to us about SMS vulnerabilities which affect several mobile phone platforms. This morning, less than 24 hours after a demonstration of this exploit, we've issued a free software update that eliminates the vulnerability from the iPhone.

“Contrary to what's been reported, no one has been able to take control of the iPhone to gain access to personal information using this exploit.

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