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Iphone and security

  • 07-08-2009 2:02pm
    #1
    jd83
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,445 ✭✭✭


    When you buy a laptop or pc your always told you need a good firewall and antivirus to protect you from getting viruses and all the other bad things out there on the net.

    Is browsing from your iphone save? Like you dont have any antivirus or firewall and its basically a hand held computer. Does most of the stuff my laptop does yet i pay for security software on my laptop. Is logging on to me online bank account or other sites with personal info save?


Comments

  • #2
    Tom Dunne
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    Think about it.

    How many PCs are there out there using Internet Explorer and how many iPhones are there using Safari?

    If you were a script-kiddie, writing a virus, which do you stand more chance of infecting?

    You can be damn sure a virus will appear at some stage, an iPhone is basically a computer, so can be programmed for either good or bad purposes. But until exploits become known, and until a body of knowledge appears about these exploits, malicious software for the iPhone will be some time away.


  • #3
    sink
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,314 ✭✭✭sink


    The iPhone is a closed platform, meaning only software that gets the ok from apple can be installed on it. It is not possible to install software that is not approved by apple without jailbreaking the phone. In comparison windows is an open platform and anyone can write and distribute programs for it and everyone can install them without any oversight from Microsoft. That is why viruses will never be a major problem on the iPhone.


  • #4
    Tom Dunne
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 23,212 ✭✭✭✭Tom Dunne


    I would argue (as I do :)) that is technically possible to get some sort of malicious software installed via Javascript/Safari via some kind of as yet unknown exploit. Maybe not even installed, but resident in memory.

    Extremely unlikely? Yes. Impossible? I wouldn't think so.


  • #5
    Mr Bloat
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,234 ✭✭✭Mr Bloat


    Tom Dunne wrote: »
    I would argue (as I do :)) that is technically possible to get some sort of malicious software installed via Javascript/Safari via some kind of as yet unknown exploit. Maybe not even installed, but resident in memory.

    Extremely unlikely? Yes. Impossible? I wouldn't think so.

    I agree, all code is exploitable once you can find the vulnerabilities in the code. Saying it can't be done is sometimes all the encouragement some people need. :)

    And while it's obviously more profitable to write malware for the pc platform, the iPhone has a high enough profile that if an exploit was found, it would be targeted, imo.


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