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Aussie student creates pop icon iPhone worm


An Australian student has created what is thought to be the world's first iPhone worm, which replaces the popular device's wallpaper with a picture of 1980s pop icon For the British television series, see .

For religious icons, see .

A pop icon is a celebrity whose fame in pop culture constitutes a defining characteristic of a given society or era.
 Rick Astley.

Ashley Towns, a 21-year-old technical college student who lives with his family near Sydney, said he concocted the worm, which can spread from phone to phone, to raise awareness about security.

"This virus pretty much exploits people's laziness to change their password," he said, according to according to
prep.
1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians.

2. In keeping with: according to instructions.

3.
 public broadcaster ABC ABC
 in full American Broadcasting Co.

Major U.S. television network. It began when the expanding national radio network NBC split into the separate Red and Blue networks in 1928.
.

Towns' "Ikee" worm swaps the popular smartphone's wallpaper with an image of Astley and the slogan "Ikee is never gonna gon·na  
Informal
Contraction of going to: We're gonna win today. 
 give you up" -- a reference to the British star's 1987 chart-topper, "Never Gonna Give You Up".

The virus affects only phones that have been cracked, or jail-broken, to let users install applications not approved by manufacturer Apple.

"When people jail-break their phone, it allows them to install a service on their phone called SSH (Secure SHell) A security protocol for logging into a remote server. SSH provides an encrypted session for transferring files and executing server programs. Also serving as a secure client/server connection for applications such as database access and e-mail, SSH supports a ," Towns told ABC.

"Generally you should always change your password after setting up on the iPhone as all iPhones use the same password."

He said he had proved it was not hard to hack into an iPhone, and was not aware if he had broken any laws. The virus is easily removed by deleting a few files.

"The virus itself is not malicious and is not out to hurt people. It's just poking fun and hopefully waking people up a little," Towns said.

"Somebody with more malicious intent could have done anything -- read your SMSs, go through your emails, view your contacts, photos -- anything," he added.

Experts warned the virus was already spreading in Australia and the same technology could be used to steal personal information.

"It has now evolved into a worm which is spreading under its own steam and is infecting iPhone users in Australia," Graham Cluley Graham Cluley is a British computer programmer and 'Senior Technology Consultant' at Sophos. He is very well known in the anti-virus industry, and his corporate biography[1] , a computer security expert with anti-virus firm Sophos, told the ABC.

"But what we are particularly worried about is a new version of the worm could steal confidential information Noun 1. confidential information - an indication of potential opportunity; "he got a tip on the stock market"; "a good lead for a job"
steer, tip, wind, hint, lead
 about you. It may not be so obvious as to display a picture of Rick Astley."
Copyright 2009 AFP Global Edition
No portion of this article can be reproduced without the express written permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright (c) Mochila, Inc.

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Article Details
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Author:AFP
Publication:AFP Global Edition
Date:Nov 10, 2009
Words:350
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