Ikee Worm: Jailbroken iPhones Under SSH Threat by Malware

The Internet prank known as "Rickrolling" has made its way to iPhones in the form of a worm that infects jailbroken versions of the device. The worm is more annoying than harmful -- it even appears to lock the door behind it, preventing similar attacks from slipping in. However, security pros are concerned that a hacker with malicious intentions may exploit the vulnerability the worm highlights. The Ikee worm exploits the SSH, or secure shell, protocol on jailbroken iPhones. SSH is a network protocol that lets two networked devices exchange data using a secure channel. It is primarily used on Linux- and Unix-based systems to access shell accounts.

"The problem is, iPhone users don't think of their devices as being Unix computers," Chester Wisniewski, a senior security adviser at security company Sophos, told MacNewsWorld. "But that's just what it is."

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