FOX News recently aired a video titled Beware the Square. A FOXNews.com reporter talks with Sascha Segan from PCMag.com. If you dont know anything about the iPhone virus/iPhone SMS Hack, this video should answer your questions. Watch it! Every single iPhone is at risk today. And so far theres really no way to fix it. Thats the warning from a couple of cyber security experts who say they found a way to hijack and completely gain control of the phone. Heres the iPhone. Mine has my niece in it. There is a flaw in the text messaging system, the hacker sends a message with just a single square character and after that could take control of the phone, and by the way its not just the iPhone, were told Microsoft Mobile and Googles Android have the same issues. With us now is Sascha Segan, he is the lead analyst for mobile phones for PC Magazine and PCMag.com. Reporter: Now Im told that you can stop this by taking over yours by watching for these characters. Sascha Segan: Well if you see first of all its not actually one message, its 500 messages but the first 499 are invisible. The only one you see is the very last one which has that square box character. Reporter: But I know I received a message, but I dont know what is? Sascha Segan: No you dont even see that youve received the message, but for some reason your phone seems very busy for a little while then you see the box character appear then you can either turn off your phone or put it in airplane mode and the hackers cant do anything. Reporter: But theyre in now though. Sascha Segan: Well, theyre in but if your phone is off or in airplane mode they are not in any more. Theyre connected remotely so if you disconnect the network, they cant get in. Reporter: And the only way that they can get back in is to go through the 499 invisible ones again and then do the square thing again and then all you have to do is go back to airplane mode. Sascha Segan: Bingo! Reporter: So if I get a message that has that square box on it I should not click it? Sascha Segan: No you should turn it off. Reporter: Alright what if I do click it? Sascha Segan: If you do click it, and you wait a little while clicking the message doesnt do anything but if you wait a little while the hackers may be able to send additional commands that could do things such as crash your phone, lock up your phone, disconnect your phone from the network. Reporter: Can they use it as a zombie? Sascha Segan: Now they are saying that they can, but they have not demonstrated that. The only thing that theyve actually demonstrated is crashing the phone, but they say they can use it as a zombie but no one has actually seen that happen. Reporter: And the zombie meaning they can take control of your phone and use it to do something nefarious or whatever they want with a series of computers they have hijacked around the world. So I guess the bottom line is, as creative as this thing is and interesting as the concept is if you see the little square turn your phone off and youre foiled. Sascha Segan: Absolutely, and one of the interesting things here is that Apple should fix this patch. Reporter: Theyre Apple and they will. Sascha Segan: Hopefully yes, but these guys told Apple about it about a month ago and theyre still waiting. Google has already patched their phone. The Google Android phones if youre on the latest software are not vulnerable. Reporter: Come on Apple, whats wrong with Apple? I saw Steve Jobs at the TMZ we know hes out and about doing things. Sascha Segan: Of course Apple has no comments on this matter
FOX News. Funnier than the Daily Show and Colbert Report put together... until you realize they're serious.
Lol by the way.. Go put your iphone in itunes and you will get the security update LOL! just when this thread was posted it was on toucharcade's main page..
3.0.1 came out which fixes it i think AND http://forums.toucharcade.com/showthread.php?t=20502&highlight=iphone+virus
"They're apple they will" The way he said that was so bold and like you better do this apple.... Scary thing though.
The usual media frenzy about not a great deal. Apple have patched it already, big deal. How many of you have lost your iPhone to this terrible scourge that was going to make every iPhone in the world useless - probably zero. Typical overhyped rubbish.
That is not a virus, it is a hack. Anyway, Appple has, as others have mentioned, released a patch so this is probably irrelevant now.
yeah its fixed now and plugging a iphone to itunes makes you download it. But if thats the case and its fixed, i want a moderator to close this thread. Thanks!