A new iPhone worm for unlocked or “jailbroken” iPhones is on the loose and causing havoc for iPhone users, according to Symantec.
The worm, known as Ikee has been written by an Australian hacker, using the same technique as a similar iPhone attack created by a Dutch teenager.
Users who have jailbroken their iPhones in order to customise them and have not changed their SSH password, have become victim to the attack. The new worm uses the the default SSH password of jailbroken iPhones to log in and spread the virus.
Once a vulnerable iPhone is found, the worm changes the wallpaper to a picture of Rick Astley (a prank known as Rickrolling), deletes the SSH daemon, and begins scanning the network for other vulnerable phones.
Symantec encourages users to be extremely wary of the risks associated with jailbreaking an iPhone, and recommends that users wishing to customise their iPhone ensure the SSH password is changed immediately to reduce the risk of infection.
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