Security

Hide Your iPod! Shut It Down! Beware of the Virus!

Infected files for the Linux iPods

By Bogdan Popa, Security and Search Engines Editor

6th of April 2007, 10:48 GMT

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The iPod Linux is an Apple device equipped with a Linux distribution but with the same interface as the classic Apple product. Although it provides numerous functions such as games,

emulators and other audio formats support, the most important function is the ability to record sounds at a higher quality than the Apple firmware included in all the iPods. So, the Linux iPods are more powerful than the classic ones but this doesn't necessarily mean it is also more secure. Viruslist released an amazing report, sustaining these iPods are now affected by a virus able to crash the device.

"However, this virus is able replicate only on iPods that are running the iPod Linux operating system. It does not work on normal iPods that are running the default iPod operating system. So it's a proof-of-concept virus for a rare operating system, and it's not going to become a real-world problem," F-Secure sustained in a security advisory.

According to a picture published by Viruslist, the infected iPods will crash, displaying a message saying: "You are infected with Oslo, the first iPodLinux Virus by freeOn/DoomRiderz."

At this time, there is no official solution to avoid an infection with the virus but, as VIruslist sustained, the damage caused by the malicious file is somehow limited. Imagine that a PC virus is able to steal private files, passwords or other information as well as crashing the system and removing sensitive data. Generally, an iPod virus could steal only multimedia content stored on the device such as videos, songs or pictures. Now, if you're currently using the iPod as a mass storage device, a virus is surely a problem because the attacker is able to steal all the files located on the Apple product.

TAGS:

ipod | linux | virus

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