The rapidly growing take-up of Apple's new iPhone has been paralleled by a number of white and dark hat hackers disassembling the code of the leading edge mobile handset.
The latest piece of news to hit the iPhone forums suggests that Independent Security Evaluators (ISE), an IT security group, have discovered a remote access flaw in the handset's browser.
Under certain circumstances, ISE claims that the flaw could allow hackers to take "complete control" of the mobile, stealing information ranging from emails and text messages to telephone numbers.'
Herman Zampariolo, CEO of Wabisabilabi (WSLabi), the online auction space for buyers and sellers of software vulnerabilities to conduct deals in a confidential manner, said that the number of reported security flaws is likely to increase as sales of the iPhone go international later this year.
"The fact that programmers are - quite literally - taking the iPhone's operating system apart is a potential headache for Apple, especially considering the strong similarities with the traditional MAC OSX operating system, but this is precisely the reason why we created WSLabi in the first place," he said.
"Instead of publishing their security flaw findings on open forums and receiving nothing for their efforts, we urge programmers to log into the WSLabi portal and offer details of the flaw to the IT security industry and, of course, Apple Computer itself," he added.
According to Zampariolo, as programmers start to discover the benefits of using the WSLabi information exchange on IT security, they will start to generate profits from their endeavours.
"The site also ensures that this privileged IT security data only goes to vetted and professional companies who will not misuse the information. This has to be better than simply posting details of the latest iPhone security flaw on forums where anyone - black hat hacker or worse - can use the information," he said.
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