(At last), some security researchers have found a vulnerability in the iPhone. Why do I say “at last”? Because it was inevitable, for a number of factors: 1. this is a computer and 2. there is so much hype around this product that there was sure to be lots of hackers (good and bad) looking for flaws. ZDNet blogger, Kingsley-Hughes, agrees with me and isn’t surprised that a security hole has been found.
As security holes goes, this is pretty run of the mill, in that you need to visit a website that has the exploit in order to get hit. Now, if you were to jump onto a non-trusted WiFi network, then it would be a whole lot easier for the hackers running that network to spoof things like DNS and websites themselves, so do be careful when you’re surfing on unknown networks. In a nutshell, the same precautions you take (or should be taking) when you’re on your home computer or laptop are the same ones you should take on your iPhone or any other smartphone for that matter.
If you’re interested in seeing a brief video demoing the exploit as well as a more in-depth write-up, take a look at exploitingiphone.com.