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iPhone virus? Has anyone else seen this?

cmcbridejr

cmcbridejr

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Sep 28, 2007
509
1
Alpharetta, GA
I was trying to make a phone call and it never rang.

So, I tried to end the call and it would not let me.

Then, I tried to turn off my iPhone and that's when it happened!

My screen bugged out with flashing colors and 2 millipedes or centipedes were crawling around the screen.

I was able to jold down the power and home button for a restart and the iPhone seems fine.

Has anyone else seen this?

Is my iPhone infected with the first virus?

I have 1.0.2 with 3rd party apps and I was on my home network (which is very encypted).
 
Why would the phone have viruses?

It's not like anyone deliberately exploited security holes in it and made changes provided by hackers or anything...
 
Sobe said:
Why would the phone have viruses?

It's not like anyone deliberately exploited security holes in it and made changes provided by hackers or anything...
Click to expand...

thanks a lot to replying to my post!

Your input has been tremendous towards my understanding of the dilemma!
 
haven't heard of it, but don't have a iPhone either, so it's not something i actively look into. I would be really careful at what 3rd party apps you install though. and i do mean REALLY careful. It would suck to install one that had a virus that destroyed the iPhone(such as overheating it or making it unresponsive). Apple will open it up eventually, just be patient, or else you might be buying a new one. Just my advice.:apple:

EDIT: kinda sounds like a funny virus though :D
 
hankolerd said:
haven't heard of it, but don't have a iPhone either, so it's not something i actively look into. I would be really careful at what 3rd party apps you install though. and i do mean REALLY careful. It would suck to install one that had a virus that destroyed the iPhone(such as overheating it or making it unresponsive). Apple will open it up eventually, just be patient, or else you might be buying a new one. Just my advice.:apple:

EDIT: kinda sounds like a funny virus though :D
Click to expand...

Yup agreed! Do what he says man, do what he says...
 
I have not used a Windows PC in quite a few years, so I have not really ever seen a virus like this.

Is this what viruses are like these days?

Has anyone ever heard of this type of stuff?

Do you think this could be a joke that Apple installed for when your iPhone "bugs out"?
 
cmcbridejr said:
thanks a lot to replying to my post!

Your input has been tremendous towards my understanding of the dilemma!
Click to expand...

Having appropriate expectations for one's actions is the first step towards defining problems and implementing the appropriate remedies for those problems.

Are you scanning these 3rd party apps for virus-like properties prior to installation?

Downloading and installing software of unknown origin is a no no on any platform. Who knows what the problem is.

If I wanted to do a controlled analysis, I would restore the phone to as close to stock as possible, then install one program at a time, removing the previous one before installing the next one so that one controls for as many variables as possible.

The problem is you cannot put those apps on a non-broken into phone so it's impossible to control for all of the variables.

So my previous answer was more on the mark than you may realize.

This is the difference between "can" and "should."

You've turned your iphone into a large petri dish and knowing precisely what is causing what is going to be next to impossible to properly diagnose without holding things constant that we simply cannot at this point.

For all we know it's a little easter egg some hacker wrapped into an app you downloaded that shows itself when you remove his application.
 
Look, I already understand the risks of installing 3rd party apps from untrusted sources.

I just want to know if anyone else has seen something similar to what I have described.
 
I had the same thing!
 

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Check out modmyifone.com
I think I remember reading some stuff about that and ways of fixing it...
 
Look up every 3rd party app you installed on it. The "Virus" as you call it just does not magically appear on your iPhone it has to be something you downloaded. If you are having problems with the iPhone I recommend restoring it back to factory settings and not jail-BREAKING it.
 
This is why Apple needs to open source to developers. Jailbreaking the phone to install 3rd party apps is just begging for it to be hijacked. You may think you're downloading a completely harmless program but who knows what is being put on your phone and can jack it up. My first iphone battery overheated just weeks after first hacking it. Now was it just a fluke defective battery or something else? Who knows, but jailbreaking your phone and adding an installer app to install foreign software is like pulling your pants down around your ankles and an open invitation to get screwed.
 
decadentdave said:
This is why Apple needs to open source to developers. Jailbreaking the phone to install 3rd party apps is just begging for it to be hijacked. You may think you're downloading a completely harmless program but who knows what is being put on your phone and can jack it up. My first iphone battery overheated just weeks after first hacking it. Now was it just a fluke defective battery or something else? Who knows, but jailbreaking your phone and adding an installer app to install foreign software is like pulling your pants down around your ankles and an open invitation to get screwed.
Click to expand...

Yes but in the grand scheme of things, isn't having bejeweled on your iPhone more important than something trivial like security?
 
not seen this..
again, be careful at what 3rd party apps you install..

then again, it could of been an easter egg and you'll be awarded the grand prize soon :D
 
sparkyms said:
Your constant crying is getting really old.
Click to expand...

Maybe the problem is with your perception of me voicing my opinions as "crying" rather than considering the great deal of thought and wisdom contained in my offerings.

In any case, who the hell elected you censor of the masses?
 
I am beginning to think that I may have triggered an Easter Egg.

I have seen that Apple still hides Easter Eggs in their OS and programs (even Leopard with the BSOD).

I don't have any unusual apps installed, and I only install apps that I know I will use and have been used/tested by so many other people.

I just can't come to the conclusion that this may be a virus, or at least, the symptons are obvious.

Here's why:

1) I was merely making a phone call and not using any 3rd party apps at the time (other than the ones that constantly run - summerboard and themes)

2) I was able to reset the iPhone from the "bugged" screen and everything seems fine and stable

3) All programs are still functioning just fine on my iPhone

4) Most of all, it just looked and seemed too funny (2 centipedes or millipedes crawling around the screen letting me know I just "bugged" my iPhone)

5) No one else is reporting any problems/viruses (and I'm sure at least over100,000 people have "hacked" their iPhone and installed the typical 3rd party apps like myself)

6) I know that my home network has not been compromised and I don't join any untrusted networks

I really hope that someone out there has also seen this same "bugged" screen, as I don't want to be the only one with a story to tell.

I guess I will take a photo next time if it ever happens again.
 
So, what can the worm do to my iPhone?

What are the symptoms of a worm (other than the "bugged" out screen)?

I have not noticed anything unusual since.
 
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