iPhone Users: Your Slice of Virus is Here
If iPhone users were confident about the safety of their phone, I’d start to worry now because the first virus (which is relatively harmless) might get to your phone to teach you a lesson (quite literally).
Yes, iPhone users, until now, if you thought you were immune to all kinds of virus with your uber-cool yet uber-safe iPhone, I wouldn’t be so sure now. Started in Australia by a young 21 year old website designer, Ashley Towns, the Ikee virus is fast spreading among iPhones although for the moment it is only confined in Australia.
However, some TINY good news – the Ikee virus affects only those phones that have been unlocked – a procedure that allows you to use the phone with any SIM card to share files etc. So if your phone is unlocked, then I wouldn’t really celebrate. Also those phones that haven’t changed the default password of their iPhones from ‘alpine’ are susceptible to the risk.
The symptoms of the Ikee virus include the wallpaper changing to an image of Rick Astley, the popular 80s singer with a message saying ‘Ikee is never going to give you up’ – threatening, but equally humorous, methinks considering the reference to Rick’s song success.
Okay, maybe I’m dramatising this too much but the main point that Ashley Towns was trying to make through this virus, after he revealed himself as the creator of this bug on Twitter with the name Ikeeex, was to get iPhone users to use their phones in a protected manner through secure passwords etc and to encourage them not to ‘jailbreak’ or unlock their phones. Apart from the two symptoms mentioned above, nothing happens to the data stored on the phone itself.
Maybe this is just the starting step and nothing major will happen but I shudder to think the kinds of different worms that can be created now to infect iPhones. Ikee was very basic in the task that it did and it probably won’t make a drastic difference to someone’s phone (apart from a very pleasing picture of Rick Astley) but a Finnish security firm shares my worries too. They think that despite the creator having declared his virus, many other “variants” may come up which may have much more dangerous effects like “password cracking” to those iPhones which have the passwords changed.
At the moment there isn’t much trouble but iPhone users, I’d keep an eye out for suspicious stuff and remember, stay safe!
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24 Comments
svishnugopal, posted this comment on Nov 9th, 2009
something very interesting..but revealing some truthful facts..good work..
Guy Hogan, posted this comment on Nov 9th, 2009
Yes, if I had an iPhone I would be worried. I’m constantly concerned about the security of my desktop computer. Once my desktop got a virus and I had to clean the whole thing, wipe out all the information, and start over.
No one wants to get a deadly virus.
Christine Ramsay, posted this comment on Nov 9th, 2009
Thanks for the information. Viruses get in everywhere these days.
Christine
Francois Hagnere, posted this comment on Nov 9th, 2009
You’re right my friend! Thank you. Very informative.
Authoress Terry E. Lyle, posted this comment on Nov 9th, 2009
Thanks for the 411
Jane Benitez, posted this comment on Nov 9th, 2009
Appreciate the information – very detailed and informative.
sweet sunshine143, posted this comment on Nov 9th, 2009
Thank you for the information. great article and funny too. It’s hard enough to have to deal with viruses on your computer imagine on an I-pod phone. I don’t have one.
Goodselfme, posted this comment on Nov 9th, 2009
Tx for sharing this info to those that need it!
drelayaraja, posted this comment on Nov 10th, 2009
Thank you for sharing this valuable information.
giftarist, posted this comment on Nov 10th, 2009
Brilliant article, thanks for sharing this, really useful!
cardy, posted this comment on Nov 10th, 2009
Good info thanks for the share, good article, great read!
martie, posted this comment on Nov 10th, 2009
I have no worries don’t own a cell phone of any kind and don’t want too.
papaleng, posted this comment on Nov 10th, 2009
good to hear that. Thanks for sharing this very informative info.
K.Reshma, posted this comment on Nov 10th, 2009
Thanks for sharing
cutedrishti8, posted this comment on Nov 12th, 2009
Will take care of this …If I purchase IPhone
Priyanka Bhowmick, posted this comment on Nov 13th, 2009
well dats a good amount of information on the I-phone/ i havent used it yet now but shall be alert if use sometime/ good article…
Teves, posted this comment on Nov 13th, 2009
Nice one…
Littlekid137, posted this comment on Nov 21st, 2009
I am glad I came back to Triond to read this. My mom recently purchased this snazy phone and it is attactched to her 24/7
She never believed that such a great thing could get a virus. Thank you for sharing this I will have to spread this information on with her.
Also good for this girl to create it, to get people back down to Earth, cause some people think this thing is indestructable…. until now
cebuanaeyez, posted this comment on Nov 25th, 2009
I have yet to own an IPhone. Good information!
CutestPrincess, posted this comment on Nov 29th, 2009
thanks for the good information….
simplyoj, posted this comment on Nov 30th, 2009
thanks for this information and reminder.
Ruby Hawk, posted this comment on Dec 2nd, 2009
good post, I don’t have one so I don’t have to worry.
jaysonv, posted this comment on Dec 12th, 2009
very informative article..like it.
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Sourav, posted this comment on Nov 9th, 2009
Okay… No prob I don’t use iPhone till now!