Apple To Release iPhone SMS Bug Fix On Saturday?

Only a day after two cybersecurity experts revealed a SMS bug in the iPhone that may allow the device to be hijacked, the BBC is reporting that Apple will be issuing a fix for it as early as Saturday via iTunes. The news came from an O2 spokesperson, an iPhone wireless carrier in the U.K.

An O2 spokesperson said the patch would be available Saturday through iTunes.  "We will be communicating to customers both through the website and proactively," the spokesperson added.  "We always recommend our customers update their iPhone with the latest software and this is no different."

The bug doesn't only affect iPhones, however, it's just that the media has focused on Apple's device more than others.  Google's Android is susceptible and so are Windows Mobile phones.  Apparently Google has already taken steps to fix the exploit. As revealed by cybersecurity experts Charlier Miller and Collin Mulliner, the problem is in the way the iPhone handles SMS data.  Hackers may be able to remotely control your device without you even knowing by sending a series of text messages, and the only way to be absolutely certain you are safe is to shut your device off. Both Miller and Mulliner had warned Apple about the bug about a month ago, but as always with Apple, they failed to respond.  The duo decided to reveal the bug at this year's Black Hat conference in Las Vegas in hopes that the information would help speed up the patching process and help bring more attention to the possibility of other SMS hacks. Saturday is only a day away.

Related articles