Duh! iPhone users… Beware!

iphone, the versatile tool of the modern world which acts as a pocket computer and smart phone, running on UNIX with internet, camera phone, texting, voicemail and multimedia, is also prone to attacks. Just as every other computer device working on the internet is prone to virus attacks, the iPhone is prone to be affected by worms. The iPhone worm is a collection of software that run hidden, automatically and breach security or steals the user data and misuses them.

The latest on the iPhone worm list is the Duh! Its purpose is as nasty as it name…

Duh steals data like the users’ bank information, user id, password, etc. It consists of shell scripts that steal bank information from the users. It scans IP addresses to connect with the default SSH or secure shell password that is used to connect remotely over the internet. Once it has located its prey, it installs its collection of software onto the iPhone.

The software changes the users’ SSH password to its own and sends the users’ data to the hackers’ servers. It also steals the authentication codes that are used by banks in order to protect their customers’ while performing any financial transaction by means of their iPhone. Duh even steals the mobile transaction authentication number, an additional authentication layer provided by many of the banks.

The main reason for the iPhone to be susceptible to the worm is purely the carelessness of the iPhone users themselves. The users miss to change the default passwords as suggested by the manufacturer on jailbreaking their iPhones. Well, if you are wondering what jailbreaking is, it is a process by which the user bypasses Apple’s official distribution mechanism and allows them to download and install applications not provided by the manufacturer easily.

So, is there a way to know if your phone has been infected with Duh? Yes, it depletes the battery quickly.

To clean up an infected iphone, identify the worm and remove it completely or restore the manufacturer’s firmware.

Beware, iPhone users! The best way to safe guard your iphone is by not removing the manufacturer’s protection under any circumstance. If there is a necessity to download any file that is not provided by the manufacturer, ensure that you change the default SSH password.