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Iphone Virus and Iphone Hacks?

I was browsing the web and noted that a lot of blogs and news sites have posting on the iphone virus and iphone hacking topic. I was intrigued so I did some researching and some connecting of the dots: this week is Black Hat Security Conference week and somebody must have demo’d some iphone hacking stuffs. My guess was right 🙂 quoting Cnet News

LAS VEGAS–Researchers have discovered a way to take complete control over an iPhone merely by sending special SMS messages and demonstrated it on my iPhone at the Black Hat security conference on Wednesday.

Although an attacker could exploit the hole to make calls, steal data, send text messages, and do basically anything that I can do with my iPhone, the researchers were kind and merely rendered it temporarily inoperable.

Here’s what happened: While I was talking on the phone to Charlie Miller, his partner, Collin Mulliner, sent me a text message from his phone. One minute I’m talking to Miller and the next minute my phone is dead, and this time it’s not AT&T’s fault. After a few seconds it came back to life, but I was not able to make or receive calls until I rebooted.

The name Charlie Miller rings a bell. Yup the same guy in the  Safari hack/Pwn2own early this year 🙂

Researching deeper into this topic, it seems that as of posting this article there is NO actual malware or virus exploiting this bug (yet). But what is alarming (but is not surprising for many) is that the vendor (in this case Apple) have not released a patch yet, even if the researchers have reported the bug for more than a month already.
Some media sources seemed to have “hyped” this development in Black Hat Conference and inferred to that an iphone virus will be launched on July 30. Not the first time that this kind of issues get hyped 🙁

Anyway, I will be on the lookout for new developments on this issue and if there is really an in-the-wild iphone virus I will update this blog post.

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An Open Letter to President Barack Obama

Last year I posted some Obama and GMA in Manila video here in my blog. Little did I know that GMA’s dream of meeting Obama will really come true someday.

A day before their actual face to face meeting, I’m posting an open letter to President Barack Obama. Who wrote it, read on….


July 29, 2009

HIS EXCELLENCY PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA
Washington District of Columbia
United States of America

Dear Mr. President,

We shared the wonderful jubilation of the American people during your historic election triumph. When you assumed office early this year, we rejoiced at the audacious hope that you inspired, and on your promise of change for the common good.

We joined all freedom loving people of the world who exulted when you declared that “those who cling to power through corruption and deceit and the silencing of dissent… are on the wrong side of history.”

The Filipino people share the same morals, ideals, and aspirations that define the envied way of life of the American people. Filipinos yearn for the same kind of leaders that the American people yearn for themselves; leaders who are imbued with the right values, lead principled lives, and govern with the highest ethical standards. The ideals of justice, democracy and the upliftment of human rights animate the Filipino people’s dreams of a better world in much the same way that these ideals animate the dreams of the American people.

Upon your invitation, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo will have the chance to meet with you on July 30, 2009. In your meeting with Ms. Arroyo, it may serve you well to be mindful of Ms. Arroyo’s legacy of corruption, extra-judicial killings, enforced disappearances, torture, bribery, election cheating, among others. We do not wish to belabor you with the details of these high crimes which have surely been documented and reported by the U.S. State Department to your Office.

The Filipino people also yearn for change from the effrontery of hopelessness and the curse of decadence that Ms. Arroyo represents. In your meeting with Ms. Arroyo, we feel confident that you will make clear to her that a Government that does not comply with Principles of Democracy and respect for Human Rights cannot have the approval and support of your administration. We implore you Mr. President to inspire hope and be an instrument of change for the common good of the long suffering Filipino people.

SIGNED:

Teofisto T. Guingona Jr.
Former Vice President

Jovito R. Salonga
Former Senate President

Franklin Drilon
Former Senate President

Camilo D. Quiazon
Former Supreme Court Justice

Wigberto E. Tañada
Former Senator

Sergio R. Osmeña III
Former Supreme Court Justice

Vicente T. Paterno
Former Senator

Agapito A. Aquino
Former Senator

Josefina T. Lichauco
Former Cabinet Secretary/CCM

Francisco I. Chavez
Former Solicitor General

Corazon J. Soliman
Former Cabinet Secretary

Juan Santos
Former Cabinet Secretary

Jejomar C. Binay
Mayor, Makati City

Bro. Eddie C. Villanueva
National Chairman, PJM

Sr. Mary John Mananzan, OSB
Co-Chairperson, AMRSP

Harry L. Roque Jr.
UP Law/CCM

Jun I. Lozada
State Witness, ZTE-NBN

I like this line best

We do not wish to belabor you with the details of these high crimes which have surely been documented and reported by the U.S. State Department to your Office.

Nuff said.

May this letter be read by President Obama, his staff and whole connected world.

some personal note:
Its inspiring to know that Former Senator Wigberto “Ka Bobby” Tañada is involved in this open letter. “Ka Bobby” was also a former congressman representing our district in Quezon Province.