Viruses Designed for IPhones Can Also Infect IPads

An antivirus vendor, PandaLabs has revealed that malware designed to infect Apple's iPhones can also compromise the iPad.

"This doesn't mean we're about to face an avalanche of infections. We have always stated that as Apple increases its market share, cyber-crooks will begin to show more interest in targeting the platform," said Luis Corrons, technical director of PandaLabs. "However, we are certainly beginning to see more proofs of concept, and so advise all Mac users to follow the manufacturer's recommendations to maximize security on their operating systems."

Despite the fact that Apple has made it impossible to install peripherals and software outside of those found in its own App Store, cyber-criminals have found a way to infect jailbroken iPad devices with malware.

All malware designed for iPhones, such as the iPhone/Eeki.A worm that PandaLabs warned about last year, will have the same ability to infect and spread to iPad devices due to the iPad and the iPhone sharing the same operating system, known as iOS. Apple released iOS 4, the new version of its operating system, this Monday.

The iPhone/Eeki.A worm infected jailbroken iPhones. Jailbreaking refers to the process by which criminals tamper with iPhones in order to install applications that are not available in the official Apple App Store. In addition to the iPad, malware designed for the iPhone can also infect the iPad touch.

Article published on 24th June 2010