Malicious iPhone Virus Takes Control of Your Phone

This one is a little more serious than Rick Rolling.

About a month ago there was an iPhone worm that changed the user's wallpaper to Rick Astley. The Australian student behind that little piece of malware said the software did nothing else and those affected by it could un-Rick their phone very easily. Ashley Towns said that his sole intention was to highlight how easy it is for attackers to gain access to your phone if you haven't taken the proper steps to protect yourself.

Fast forward just a few weeks and we have a malicious iPhone worm that can steal data and even take control of the phone, acting like a botnet. Similar to the Rick Rolling worm, this virus also targets jailbroken iPhones with an SSH password that were never changed from the default to something more secure.

According to Symantec's John McDonald, the virus can steal data contained on the iPhone as well as connect back to the attacker giving them control over the phone including the ability to download and install malware onto it. McDonald says the root password may also be changed in order to prevent the owner from accessing the device and adds that this worm appears to cover a broader range of IP addresses than the Rick Rolling worm. "The first iPhone worm, this one appears to cover a much broader range of IP addresses, including UPC in the Netherlands, Optus in Australia, possibly a Hungarian and a Portuguese provider, T-Mobile and potentially many others."

Read more on Symantec.