Wherever there’s tech, there are security vulnerabilities. Sometimes they’re not bad (i.e., jailbreaking), but sometimes, they’re downright scary. If you’ve got private data on your iPhone, this one’s a must-read:

A bug was discovered in iOS 4.1 that lets outsiders check out what’s in your Phone app — even if you have a passcode. And it’s not some obscure hack for pro-level data miners. It’s a big gaping hole that anyone can crawl in through easily if they have access to your handset.

You can even try this at home. Follow along with me:

If you have a passcode set up, then the usual ritual is to wake it, slide to unlock and then punch in the code. But if, after sliding to unlock, try tapping “Emergency Call” instead. (It’s in the lower left corner.)

Type in whatever random digits, doesn’t matter. Now tap the green button and immediately hit the hardware lock button on the top right of your phone (almost simultaneously).

Did you see your addressbook/contacts pop up? And all those familiar tabs at the bottom, including Voice Mail and call history? Yeah, those are all accessible now. What’s more, if you choose to share a contact via MMS, you get an option to add an image from the Camera Roll, which means all those pics are now accessible too. (If you have any PG-13 or R-rated images in there, I’d suggest getting that off your phone fast. Imagine losing your device, and then seeing that stuff scattered all over the webs.) And, for some reason, Voice Control is also accessible from the “Emergency Call” screen. (Just hit and hold the home button.) You can mumble at it to call some name, and it’ll match whatever it thinks you’re trying to say and dial it for you — all without typing in a single digit from your passcode.

Reportedly this also work in the iOS 4.2 Beta. Clearly, Apple needs to get on this and fix it asap. Until then, don’t let your phone out of your sight. Of course, MobileMe users and jailbreakers have remote wipe options, which is probably the best route to take if you lose your handset — especially since this hack has gone public.

View full post on TodaysiPhone.com