– PandaLabs demonstrates in this video how malware designed for cell phones can also affect the popular iPad.
– The iPhone/Eeki worm appeared last year, infecting jailbroken iPhones
PandaLabs, Panda Security’s antimalware laboratory, has revealed that malware designed to infect iPhones can also compromise the popular iPad, as demonstrated in this video: www.pandalabs.com
Given the popularity of these Apple devices and the growing market share, malware designed specifically to target these platforms is beginning to attract more attention. Last year, PandaLabs warned about a worm, iPhone/Eeeki, able to infect jailbroken iPhones (i.e. those that have been tampered with in order to install unofficial applications). It was also able to spread to iPod Touch.
Despite the fact that Apple decided to totally close off the hardware (making it impossible to install peripherals) and the software (all applications are installed from the manufacturer’s App Store) cyber-criminals have found a way to infect jailbroken devices with malware.
All malware designed for iPhones will have the same ability to infect and spread to iPad devices. This is because the iPad and the iPhone share the same operating system, known as iPhone (v3), or iOS (v4) in the forthcoming version.
According to Luis Corrons, Technical Director of PandaLabs: “This doesn’t mean we’re about to face an avalanche of infections. We have always stated that as Apple takes more market share, cyber-crooks will begin to show more interest in targeting those that use this platform. However, we are certainly beginning to see more proofs of concept, and so we would advise all Mac users to follow the manufacturer’s recommendations to maximize security on their operating systems”.
More information and the video at www.pandalabs.com.