14 DAY TRIAL // Independent security researcher Dino Dai Zovi believes Apple's iPhone is at risk, should future versions of the device include Intel's new Moorestown chip package. According to the renowned security expert, an x86 processor makes the iPhone an attractive target for hackers.
Moorestown is Intel's upcoming chipset, designed specifically for smartphones, like iPhone, and other handheld devices. Due for release in 2009 or 2010, the platform uses an upcoming version of Intel's Atom's processor that is an inexpensive low-power x86 processor. While Apple has proved faithful to the ARM architecture, Intel's upcoming platform sounds like a logical choice, many believe.
Speaking of Intel's new platform and how Apple is likely to adopt it for future handset versions, Dino Dai Zovi stated, "That will make the iPhone x86 and that will make a lot of attacks easier." During the interview at the Hack In The Box security conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, the independent security researcher also asserted that “x86 processors are familiar territory for malware writers and hackers looking for vulnerabilities,” reports NetworkWorld. However, for now, "the iPhone uses the Arm processor and most people are not familiar with it," Dai Zovi says, adding that "if you're doing exploits and vulnerability research, you need to know the specifics of the processor that's running."
Another aspect readers should take into consideration is that Apple's iPhone has sold more units than RIM's BlackBerry, according to Apple's Q4 conference call, featuring a surprise appearance from Apple's Chief Executive Officer, Steve Jobs. Dai Zovi said this also put the iPhone on hackers' “priority” lists.
Dai Zovi is a highly regarded figure in the computer security industry. He is best known for having been able to hack into a MacBook Pro laptop during a 2007 contest, which he eventually won. As the winner of the hacking competition, Dai Zovi and partner Shane Macaulay took home the MacBook Pro and a cash prize of US$10,000. In achieving their feat, the duo put to rest (at that time) the popular belief that Apple's Mac OS X was not marked by security flaws.