iPhone OS 3.0 Security Flaw Lets You Read Deleted Emails

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Posted August 17, 2009 at 5:52pm by Shalom Levytam

An iPhone OS 3.0 security flaw which lets you read deleted emails has been found by Matt Janssen.

The bug was discovered when searching for email using the new Spotlight feature. Janssen noticed that emails he had already deleted were listed in the search results.

On the first attempt to open the deleted email the iPhone will crash; however, a second attempt opens the entire deleted message.

Janssen has posted a YouTube video demonstrating the bug in action. You can watch it below...

[via CultofMac]

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Comments (7)

Comments are closed for this article.

DMatheus - August 18, 2009 at 2:38am

There's nothing new about it and it STILL remains on 3.0.1 firmware. I have a 3GS 32GB iPhone and the Spotlight Search has always been showing deleted e-mails without crashing or anything else. I hope Apple fixes that soon.

Aaron - August 18, 2009 at 2:18am

this is very interesting. Im assuming that if you were to restore your device, the messages wont be there, or will they?

Abdul Hadi - August 17, 2009 at 10:24pm

this flaw doesn't exist in 3.0.1.

c - August 17, 2009 at 8:19pm

maybe if you change the settings so that the trash is saved on the server and not the iphone, you wont get this problem, but i dont know

Mes - August 17, 2009 at 6:48pm

Just proves my point. Apple need to spend more time making this thing work and work right instead of limiting functionality and usage.

Ramses - August 17, 2009 at 6:29pm

and what evil company recommends ? erase all content and reflash firmware once a week ? i guess new firmware is coming and we will seen more of these planted "bugs" soon

not fair - August 17, 2009 at 6:18pm

ya, i already know that. i discovered that soon as i upgraded to 3.0 i tried the search function for 'sex' just for the hell of it and thousands of emails appeared that i do not remember ever getting. any way no biggy - i have a 32 iphone lots of space

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