iPhone 5 Won’t Be Immune to Malware, Security Buff Suggests

Bruce Schneier, an American cryptographer, computer security specialist, and writer, has made a blog entry about smartphone security lately. In it, he stresses that Apple’s iPhones won’t be more secure (than Android) because of the rules imposed by Apple on the iTunes App Store.

His blog post covers smartphones in general, not just the iPhone. Schneier believes that “smart phones are going to become the primary platform of attack for cybercriminals in the coming years.”

“As the phones become more integrated into people's lives -- smart phone banking, electronic wallets -- they're simply going to become the most valuable device for criminals to go after,” he writes. “And I don't believe the iPhone will be more secure because of Apple's rigid policies for the app store.”

One of the primary concerns is jailbreaking, and how it can be used to put malware on the iPhone, rather than just open it up to third-party software that Apple doesn’t allow in its App Store.

As Apple prepares to launch an NFC-enabled iPhone next year, if the rumors are to be believed, one of the Cupertino giant’s primary concerns will undoubtedly be tied to security.

But the question is: what can Apple do to strengthen the security of iOS without compromising on the user experience?

There has been little malware targeting the iOS operating system ever since the launch of the original iPhone in 2007.

Yet the software hasn’t been immune to attacks. In fact, it’s been anything but that in the face of hackers like the iPhone Dev Team.

The only thing that’s kept malware from getting into iPhones was the fact that jailbreakers had good intentions in cracking the iOS code. But things won’t stay like this forever, Schneier cautions. His full blog entry can be found here.