Three researchers from the Georgia Institute of Technology are set to prove iPhone patrons that the mobile unit they trust so much is susceptible to being hack through a charger designed to install malware on a mobile unit running even in the most updated version of Apple's iOS.

The researchers will give the specifics of the charger they made in the upcoming Black Hat Security conference in July. However, a summary of their findings have already caused alarms. The researchers sounded secure and confident about what they found out.

According to the summary, patrons were completely sure that their iPhones are the most secured mobile units compared to others. It was in this widely known trust that these three researchers, namely Billy Lau, Yeonggjin Lang and Chengyou Song, investigated the security of iPhones. They focused their research on how susceptible the unit is to being hacked through simple everyday activities like charging. The research came up of alarming results.

According to the researchers, "... despite the plethora of defense mechanisms in iOS, we successfully injected arbitrary software into current-generation Apple devices running the latest operating system software. All users are affected, as our approach requires neither a jailbroken device nor user interaction."

In their upcoming presentation in July, they will be showing how a trusted iOS unit can be hack in as quick as one minute after being plugged into a "malicious charger."

Their presentation will go as follows:

  • First, they examine Apple's existing security mechanisms to protect against arbitrary software installation.
  • Then they will describe how USB capabilities can be leveraged to bypass these defense mechanisms.
  • Lastly, to ensure persistence of the resulting infection, they will show how an attacker can hide their software in the same way Apple hides its own built-in applications.

In order to prove their claim, the researchers will use their conceptualized malicious charger they called "Mactans", using a BeagleBoard.

According to the three researchers, "Mactans" "was selected to demonstrate the ease with which innocent-looking, malicious USB chargers can be constructed. While Mactans was built with limited amount of time and small budget, we also briefly consider what more motivated, well-funded adversaries could accomplish."

When all issues were demonstrated and all possibilities presented, the researchers assured patrons that they will also be presenting "ways in which users can protect themselves and suggest security features Apple could implement to make the attacks we describe substantially difficult to pull off."

Apple INC. has yet to comment about the issue. As compared to other hacking that threatened the company, "Mactans" can be the nastiest one so far since anyone who wants to hack an iPhone can do it as discreet and as undetected as possible. All the hacker will just have to do is plug-in the charger. Chargers are necessity to any mobile device.

Hacking as easy as this will create a drastic appeal to those who want to pass Apple's default restrictions on iPhones. The "evasion" jailbreak for example was used by over 18 million times by hackers who were happy to 'unlock' their iPhones, iPads and iPod.

What more if it is as easy as simply plugging a charger and just waiting and sitting in one corner?