Worm on jailbroken iPhones w/SSH

[RadioRaiders]

...at least it's not that malicious... well, if you don't consider a picture of Rick Astlee malicious (I think I might )

BBC NEWS | Technology | Worm attack bites at Apple iPhone

The self-propagating program changes the phone's wallpaper to a picture of 80s singer Rick Astley with the message "ikee is never going to give you up". The worm, known as ikee, only affects "jail-broken" phones, where a user has removed Apple's protection mechanisms to allow the phone to run any software. Experts say the worm is not harmful but more malicious variants could follow. ....... It only exploits jail-broken phones that have SSH installed, a program that enables other devices to connect to the phone and modify the system and files. My prediction is that we may see more attacks like this in the future Graham Cluley The worm is able to infect phones if their owners have not changed the default password after installing SSH. "What's clear is that if you have jail-broken your iPhone or iPod Touch, and installed SSH, then you must always change your root user password to something different than the default, 'alpine'," wrote Graham Cluley of security firm Sophos. "In fact, it would be a good idea if you didn't use a dictionary word at all." After a phone becomes infected it disables the SSH service, preventing reinfection.

[Jay2TheRescue]

My prediction is Apple does nothing about it, and it will allow viruses and worms to be a deterrent to jailbreaking the phone.

[viewfly]

Originally Posted by RadioRaiders ...at least it's not that malicious... well, if you don't consider a picture of Rick Astlee malicious (I think I might ) BBC NEWS | Technology | Worm attack bites at Apple iPhone

Other than unlocking, I see very little need (anymore) to think about Jail breaking an iphone.

It is almost a certainly that Apple will do nothing about it, since jailbreaking removed the protection and also voided the Apple warranty.

[viewfly]

Another one - better change the passwords!!!

Security firm Intego reports that it has spotted new malware, termed iPhone/Privacy.A, that is capable of allowing hackers to access personal information stored on certain jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches. Non-jailbroken iPhones are not vulnerable to the malware.

While full details of the tool are not disclosed, it is reported to utilize the same method as the "Rickrolling" worm deployed in Australia late last week, suggesting that the new malware would only affect jailbroken iPhones and iPod touches whose users have installed SSH for remote access capabilities and failed to change the default password. It is unclear the extent to which the tool has been seen in the wild, although Intego currently categorizes the risk of the malware as "low".

When connecting to a jailbroken iPhone, this tool allows a hacker to silently copy a treasure trove of user data from a compromised iPhone: e-mail, contacts, SMSs, calendars, photos, music files, videos, as well as any data recorded by any iPhone app. Unlike the ikee worm, which signals its presence by changing the iPhone's wallpaper, this hacker tool gives no indication that it has invaded an iPhone.
Intego notes that the tool works by being installed onto a computer and then scanning the computer's network to find vulnerable iPhones.

This hacker tool could easily be installed, for example, on a computer on display in a retail store, which could then scan all iPhones that pass within the reach of its network. Or, a hacker could sit in an Internet café and let his computer scan all iPhones that come within the range of the wifi network in search of data. Hackers could even install this tool on their own iPhones, and use it to scan for jailbroken phones as they go about their daily business.
While antivirus software can protect computers from serving as hosts for the malicious software, Intego also notes that because no software is installed on the iPhone or iPod touch during the process, no external protection for users who are vulnerable to the malware can be deployed. Vulnerable users must change their default SSH passwords in order to thwart access attempts.

[bobolito]

I'm willing to bet Apple's programmers are behind all this. I don't even have SSH installed since I don't need it so I'm ok.

[Charlyee]

Originally Posted by bobolito I'm willing to bet Apple's programmers are behind all this. I don't even have SSH installed since I don't need it so I'm ok.

LOL, I was just wondering if Apple was encouraging these virus/worm, to scare people to not go the JB route.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I wouldn't put it past them...