The Macintosh security firm Intego reports that they have identified malware that will allow hackers to access data on jailbroken iPhones running OpenSSH with the default root password 'alpine.' Unjailbroken iPhones, devices not running sshd, and devices with unique root passwords are not vulnerable to this exploit. Though Intego currently categorizes the risk of the malware as "low," users should act to secure their phones.
The tool - which Intego identifies as "iPhone/Privacy.A" - works by being installed onto a "Mac, PC, Unix or Linux" computer - or another iPhone - and then scanning the computer's network to find ssh services.