Security Vulnerabilities in Popular Platforms
Earlier this week, I participated in a spirited discussion with some of my colleagues about whether the popularity of devices such as iPhone and iPad would result in increased attempts and successes in hacking those platforms. On the heels of that discussion, it was ironic to see the following announcement from iTunes when I plugged my iPhone into my PC this morning:
iOS 4.0.2 Software Update
Fixes security vulnerability associated with viewing malicious PDF files.
Products compatible with this software update:
• iPhone 3G
• iPhone 3GS
• iPhone 4
• iPod touch 2nd generation
• iPod touch 3rd generation (late 2009 models with 32GB or 64GB)(Emphasis mine)
Windows has long been lambasted for the sheer volume of security flaws it contained. Could it be that at least some of that volume was due to the popularity of that platform and the sheer numbers of hackers trying to break it? Hopefully, newer platforms are the beneficiaries of the increased focus on security. But we still need to be careful.