Apple products at risk from security flaw

Safari can be hacked

Apple's leading products, such as the iPhone, iPad and iPod, could all be at risk from the same security flaw that allows the devices to be taken control of by remote attackers.

The threat, that has been highlighted by security firm Symantec, says the security flaw is currently a theory, but one that is very feasible and needs to be addressed by Apple as soon as possible.

Apple has said they are aware of the threat, that affects how Mobile Safari handles Adobe Acrobat PDF documents. Symantec has said that as the browser automatically opens PDF files, a hacker could embed malicious code into this file allowing for control of the device.

The exploitation of security protocols apparently runs along the same principles as Jailbreakme, the utility that allows iPhone 4 users to run non-Apple approved applications.

Jailbreaking

Apple has long said that jailbreaking the phone would lead to security risks, but security firms are reporting that, ironically, the way of preventing Mobile Safari from automatically opening PDF files is by jailbreaking a phone and installing an application, called PDF Loading Warner, that then asks for permission every time the browser tries to open a PDF file.

For now, security firms are advising that those worried about the possible security risk should consider using an alternative web browser, such as Opera, although they might have their own unique exploits.

For now, that appears to be the only solution until Apple release a patch or a fix for the problem, although many users aren't holding their breath considering that the tech company has yet to release a block against Jailbreak.

The controversial app was released at the start of the month and works on all iPhones and iPod touches running iOS4.

Apple has always warned against using the patch saying, "Apple's goal has always been to ensure that our customers have a great experience with their iPhone and we know that jailbreaking can severely degrade the experience.

"As we've said before, the vast majority of customers do not jailbreak their iPhones as this can violate the warranty and can cause the iPhone to become unstable and not work reliably."

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