Going ‘Rogue’: BlackBerry, iPhone as Hacking Devices

A chief security rep for BlackBerry-maker Research in Motion says he’s worried about hackers someday taking ordinary smartphones and turning them into devices that could cause misery for America’s big wireless networks.

RIM’s vice president of BlackBerry security told Reuters this week that he believes hackers will be able to turn regular smartphones into “rogue” devices than can cause denial-of-service attacks on networks.

It could all start with malicious software embedded in ordinary applications that you download for your iPhone, BlackBerry, Palm Pre, Motorola Droid, or any smartphone for that matter.

RIM’s Scott Totzke calls it “an area of concern.” He thinks bringing down a wireless network, at least temporarily, might be done using a relatively small number of smartphones.

And don’t think hackers aren’t trying. Some virus-infected versions of popular smartphone applications have been discovered and pulled from the market.

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