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Did we say Saturday? iPhone OS 3.0.1 out now to block SMS exploit



Maybe it's already Saturday in the UK, or close to it: Apple has released iPhone OS 3.0.1 for iPhone, iPhone 3G & 3GS, an update that patches the phone to prevent bad actors from taking it over or taking it down with the just-demoed SMS exploit. The update weighs in at close to 300 MBabout 230 MB (like all iPhone updates, it's a full image of the OS), and as far as we can tell there are no other fixes or tweaks; just the privilege of continuing to use your iPhone in peace and security.

Update with care, and let us know in the comments how the update works for you!

14:30 ET: Apple's security mailing list just delivered the notes for 3.0.1, they are reproduced in the 2nd half of this post. Also worth noting that the SMS exploit is not endemic to the iPhone alone; both Android and Windows Mobile platforms can be attacked with similar techniques, although Google tells BW that the issue on Android phones is now fixed (presumably through carrier action on T-Mobile's side, not confirmed though).
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----
Hash: SHA256

APPLE-SA-2009-07-31-1 iPhone OS 3.0.1

iPhone OS 3.0.1 is now available and addresses the following:

CoreTelephony
CVE-ID: CVE-2009-2204
Available for: iPhone OS 1.0 through iPhone OS 3.0
Impact: Receiving a maliciously crafted SMS message may lead to an
unexpected service interruption or arbitrary code execution
Description: A memory corruption issue exists in the decoding of SMS
messages. Receiving a maliciously crafted SMS message may lead to an
unexpected service interruption or arbitrary code execution. This
update addresses the issue through improved error handling. Credit to
Charlie Miller of Independent Security Evaluators, and Collin
Mulliner of Fraunhofer SIT for reporting this issue.

Installation note:

This update is only available through iTunes, and will not appear in
your computer's Software Update application, or in the Apple
Downloads site. Make sure you have an internet connection and have
installed the latest version of iTunes from www.apple.com/itunes/

iTunes will automatically check Apple's update server on its weekly
schedule. When an update is detected, it will download it. When the
iPhone is docked, iTunes will present the user with the option to
install the update. We recommend applying the update immediately if
possible. Selecting "don't install" will present the option the next
time you connect your iPhone.

The automatic update process may take up to a week depending on the
day that iTunes checks for updates. You may manually obtain the
update via the "Check for Update" button within iTunes. After doing
this, the update can be applied when your iPhone is docked to your
computer.

To check that the iPhone has been updated:

* Navigate to Settings
* Select General
* Select About. The version after applying this update will be
"3.0.1 (7A400)" or later

Information will also be posted to the Apple Security Updates
web site: http://support.apple.com/kb/HT1222

This message is signed with Apple's Product Security PGP key,
and details are available at:
https://www.apple.com/support/security/pgp/

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Maybe it's already Saturday in the UK, or close to it: Apple has released iPhone OS 3.0.1 for iPhone, iPhone 3G & 3GS, an update that...
 

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53 Comments

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Jimbo

Currently I can't resync my phone to iTunes.... sigh...

August 01 2009 at 4:06 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Jimbo's comment
Jimbo

Damn took a reboot of my laptop and about 10 unplugs, but it finally works.

August 01 2009 at 4:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Beverly

Here we go again....update error!!!!

August 01 2009 at 8:03 AM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
e:leaf

I jailbroke my original iPhone 2G recently after having bought a 3GS, and though some of the functionality is pretty cool (BossPrefs would rule on a legit phone, even if only to get rid of those pesky icons of apps Apple won't allow me to delete), I have pretty much decided that it isn't what I'm looking for in my everyday interactions with my phone. The apps downloaded from Cydia are riddled with ads (I won't use ANY app that has ads no matter how functional and useful it may be - you listening Fring?), and many seem half baked. Sure the idea behind AppFlow is cool, scrolling through your apps a la CoverFlow in the iPod app, but even it is an App itself meaning that I have to navigate to AppFlow via Springboard just to launch AppFlow, then navigate through AppFlow to find the program I want to launch, and many of the application icons are either missing or changed. In short, jailbreaking the iPhone provides the exact opposite experience of what I'm looking for when using my phone. Could Apple be better than it is? Sure. But even with the various restrictions on a legit iPhone, the overall user experience is still miles ahead of using a jailbroken phone. With a jailbroken phone, not only is my phone hacked, but it feels hacked when using it. Having to restart Springboard with almost every app installation gets old (in fact it feels a lot like using a PC).

Though there is definitely some cool stuff that one can do with a jailbroken phone, the compromised experience while doing it makes the entire point moot.

July 31 2009 at 11:07 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Wee

This is absolutely fucking retarded. Everyone has to download like mad, scramble and hope their half-witted wife or mother did update or face a bricked phone, or worse identify theft. While AT&T could have just filtered the content in the cloud with one action.

FUCKING RETARDED APPLE! you hear me now?

July 31 2009 at 10:33 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to Wee's comment
Swimatm

Dude, it's not the end of the world.

July 31 2009 at 10:48 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
contact.me

It took about 30 minutes for me from the start of the download to the resyncing of my iPhone 3GS. It wasn't bad, because I think I selected the right time of day (3:50 PM CST). Therefore, my experience didn't warrant any issues!

July 31 2009 at 5:32 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
bob

I have never had a problem with any Apple update since I bought my 512 in the mid 80's and this is no exception. Downloaded and installed in 15 minutes. Voice dial did not work initially, so I restarted my iPhone 3G S everything was fine.

July 31 2009 at 4:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
J_Brunn

Now, if they could just put out an update allowing the 3G to work without locking up, it would be great!

July 31 2009 at 4:52 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to J_Brunn's comment
Ross

Just bought mine today, uploaded this through itunes, and now the apps from the store won't load (which i've read has been a problem elsewhere).

July 31 2009 at 9:28 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
njthree

Completed the install in about 15 minutes. No problems.

July 31 2009 at 4:47 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
TR

I just jailbroke my newly replaced iPhone one exact week ago...

(*Debates waiting for 3.1*)

It's not *impossible* to restore everything exactly, but boy would I pay a one-time price for a jailbreak that could autoapply itself to Apple's software and Just Work like Apple stuff.

July 31 2009 at 4:29 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
1 reply to TR's comment
Brian

Forget 3.0.1 it is not really a real world threat but more an academic exercise.


Also look in Cydia as he seems to suggest a better way may be coming in the next week or so.

July 31 2009 at 6:09 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
Andrew

You can re-jailbreak by using the 3.0 firmware (not 3.0.1) in redsn0w...

July 31 2009 at 3:53 PM Report abuse rate up rate down Reply
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