Apple Patches The iPhone, Turns Some Into iBricks

Apple came out Thursday with an iPhone software update that patches 10 security bugs that could enable a hacker to remotely execute malicious code, reveal e-mail credentials, or even make a call without the user's consent. In some cases, however, where the user has tinkered with the guts of the iPhone, the software update has rendered the phone unusable.

The update -- iPhone V1.1.1 -- patches one bug in Bluetooth, two in the device's mail service, and seven in its Safari browser. U.S.-CERT is "strongly encouraging" users to review the advisory and follow best practices in determining what updates should be applied.


The fixes come out amid a lot of brouhaha in the research and hacker communities about software for sale that would enable the smartphone to work on any service provider with a standard GSM SIM card. Just this past Monday, though, Apple warned users that unlocking the programs used to connect the device to cellular networks other than AT&T's causes "irreparable damage." The company also warned that the modifications would probably cause the iPhone to be inoperable when the updates were released.

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