March 18, 2008 10:14 AM PDT

Web code locks up iPhones and iPod Touch

A new exploit will either lock up your iPhone or iPod Touch or crash your Safari browser on your PC or Mac OS desktop if you simply visit a maliciously coded Web site. Unlike an earlier exploit that required users to click to become infected, the new code published by iPhoneWorld requires no user interaction.

So far, Apple has had no comment.

The code was first reported in January and exhausts the memory in Safari, which in turn will cause your iPhone or iPod Touch to freeze, or your desktop Safari to crash. "Given the nature of this issue," said the BugTraq newsgroup vulnerability report, "remote code execution may also be possible, but this has not been confirmed."

There is no patch available from Apple. The recommended workaround is to disable Javascript within Safari. To do so:

    1. Under Edit, click Preferences.
    2. Click the Security icon.
    3. Uncheck Enable JavaScript.
    4. Close and restart Safari.
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Add a Comment (Log in or register) 16 comments
Interesting but....
by mreiher March 18, 2008 10:25 AM PDT
Since January huh? Must not be too bad... I have yet to have any
trouble with Safari or my iPhone... both are used daily and often.
But then again, I don't visit the kind of sites that might bring on
this sort of attack either. Maybe this report is a little overstated?
Reply to this comment View all 2 replies
Which version(s) of Safari?
by henebry March 18, 2008 11:00 AM PDT
Apple just released version 3.1 of Safari for Macs and PCs. Does the
exploit work with the new release?

Does it work on the older 2.x Safari as well? What about 1.x?
Reply to this comment View all 3 replies
I love it !!!
by AppleSuxLeo March 18, 2008 7:30 PM PDT
now that Apple has a product that is a big target , we get to see just how INSECURE OSX really is.
It will be fun seeing how Apple and it`s fanboys try and spin all the attacks that are just starting , and there will be many more to come.
Reply to this comment View all 3 replies
LOCK UP STORY
by flyboy15 March 18, 2008 10:07 PM PDT
yes i think this is what happend to me yesterday, the iphone started working slowly, when i was checking the stocks, after that it froze when i checked the wheather, and after that none of the buttons would work, so i turned off and turned it back on. the next was that it told me to connect it to itunes. when i did it told me it had a error and i need to take it to apple store....
Reply to this comment
FIXED in Safari 3.1
by whosawhatsit March 19, 2008 5:23 AM PDT
Gotta love Apple for being prompt!
Reply to this comment
funny how I'm typing this on an archos 605.
by emoslayer6224 March 22, 2008 8:39 AM PDT
that's why I'm using this. Fame means threats.
Reply to this comment
Fantastic, but no mention for ipod touch or iphone
by thesplintercell March 22, 2008 7:09 PM PDT
?? i think your column is missing something...
mentioned ipod touch and iphone, but your only focus was with the computer-versions of safari...
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