New iPhone firmware plugs security holes

Posted by kent on June 18th, 2009

It's pretty hard to avoid the news that Apple has released a new operating system for its popular iPhone. The 3.0 OS adds a host of much-touted features, such as copy-and-paste functionality, a phone-wide search capability, and an optional 'Find My iPhone' service. What's less publicized is that the update also plugs 46 security holes in the iPhone's OS. That's 46 reasons to upgrade right there (even though many users have reported issues with the update servers). As the once-humble cel phone starts working more and more like computer, it also starts to take on some of the computer's vulnerabilities to malicious code. The iPhone doesn't have third-party security options like your computer does (you can check out the best of those options here), so we're stuck with security patches and common sense to protect our iPhones from malicious code. Here are two things to keep in mind:

1) Be as smart with your iPhone as you are with your computer. Never open email attachments from unknown senders.

2) Think twice about the sites you visit. The beauty and danger of having the Internet in the palm of your hand is that you can go anywhere. Make sure those places look trustworthy when you see them in search results.

By the way, if you have Apple's $100-a-year MobileMe service and you're hoping to use the 'Find My iPhone' feature, make sure to turn it on first. It involves some settings on the phone itself. Best to do it now while it's still in your hands.