Apple Devices can be Hacked Using a Malicious Charger

Current Apple devices - the iPhone, iPad and iPod - can be hacked using an innocent looking wall charger. A team from the Georgia Institute of Technology developed a charger, named Mactans, which installs malicious software onto an iDevice in less than sixty seconds.

The malware is practically undetectable, meaning that the user is oblivious to what's going on inside their iPhone, iPad or iPod. The USB charger has a BeagleBoard built into it, turning what you think is a standard charger into a harmful computer that is capable of doing quite a lot of damage. The BeagleBoard is a low-cost (£30 / $45), single-board open source computer produced by Texas Instruments to teach open source hardware and software capabilities. Once your device is plugged in, the custom software cracks the iOS code to install malware...

To read more visit my Apple blog.

iOS Much Safer Than Android

The amount of malware on mobile devices is quickly growing, putting many users at risk, many Android users. iOS is much safer than Android and attacks aren't easily made, thanks to Apple's developer program. According to F-Secure's report, the number of active mobile threat families and variants on Android has risen to 96 out of 100, from a much smaller 49 out of 74 known threats in the third quarter of 2012. It was then that Phil Schiller, Apple's head of worldwide marketing, decided to tweet (a very rare occasion) a link to the report; alongside "Be safe out there."...

To read more visit my blog or the Macworld website, where it has also been published.