InfoWorld

Apple promises September fix for iPhone security flaw

<div class="rxbodyfield"><p page="1" class="ArticleBody">A <a href="http://www.macworld.com/article/135236/2008/08/iphonepassword.html">recently discovered security flaw</a> that would allow access to a locked iPhone will be fixed next month, Apple said on Thursday.</p><p align="right"><a href="http://ad.doubleclick.net/jump/idg.us.info.rss/news;pos=imu;tile=6;sz=336x280;skey=patch_management;pkey=security;ord=123456789?" target="_blank" /><img src="http://ad.doubleclick.net/ad/idg.us.info.rss/news;pos=imu;tile=6;sz=336x280;skey=patch_management;pkey=security;ord=123456789?" width="336" height="280" border="0" alt="" align="right"/></a></p><p page="1" class="ArticleBody">"The minor iPhone security issue which surfaced this week is fixed in a software update which will be released in September," Apple representative, Jennifer Bowcock, said in an email to Macworld.</p><p page="1" class="ArticleBody"><b>[ Special reports: <a href="http://www.infoworld.com/archives/t.jsp?N=s&V=95808&source=fssr">IT's guide to the iPhone</a> |  <a href="http://www.infoworld.com/archives/t.jsp?N=s&V=103333&source=fssr">Apple launches the iPhone 3G</a> ]</b></p><p page="1" class="ArticleBody">The security flaw allows access to a locked iPhone by pressing the emergency call button at the unlock screen, followed by two taps on the home button. That will take you to the iPhone's private 'favorites' page without the need to enter the unlock code. If the owner of the phone has favorite entries in their address book containing URLs, e-mail addresses, or mobile phone numbers, then those entries can be used to launch the browser, mail application or SMS software and gain access to private Web favorites, e-mail messages and text messages stored in the phone, again without entering the unlock code.</p><p page="1" class="ArticleBody">Bowcock offered some advice to protect your phone until the software update is released. She said you can set the iPhone so that double-clicking the home button will take the user directly to the home screen, which if password protection is turned on, will be the unlock screen.</p></div>