Apple iPad and iPhone open to dangerous PDF exploit

by Steven Mostyn - Jul 7 2011, 08:40

Continuing the current spate of news stories connected to the shadowy world of hacking, Apple’s hugely popular iPad tablet has been thrust into the spotlight as a possible target for attack.

That’s according to the German Federal Office for Information Security, which has said that iPad users tricked into clicking on infected PDF files could unwittingly allow their devices to be blasted by data-stealing Malware.

Described as a “critical weakness” affecting Apple’s mobile iOS software platform, the exploit could also be an issue for users of the iPhone smartphone and the non-telephonic iPod Touch handset.

The security gap, which has been discovered in iOS v4.3.3 and may also exist in prior releases, could enable hackers to gain administrator-level access to infected hardware, the German IT specialists said.

Apple Inc. has apparently been made aware of the new attack vector but has not yet offered any comment or information regarding the production of a quick-fix security patch.

While waiting for Jobs & Co. to mitigate the problem accordingly, we here at Tech Herald Towers strongly recommend avoiding any and all PDF files when using iOS.

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