iPod touch users forced to pay for security patch

iPod touch users - pay for 3.0 or pay the consequences
iPod touch users - pay for 3.0 or pay the consequences

It may come as a surprise to some, but Apple's free 3.0 re-fresh for the iPhone didn't just add cut-and-paste functionality to the handset but sorted out a number of flaws, which could have left its users vulnerable to malware and the like.

So, good news for the iPhone contingent then, but bad news for iPod touch users who have been left out in the cold, unless they pay a premium for the update - £5.99 to be precise.

Update is important

"If left unpatched, hackers could run malware on your iPhone just by you visiting a website or viewing a maliciously-crafted image," says Graham Cluley, Senior Technology Consultant at Sophos.

"Although we haven't come across any examples of hackers creating malware to exploit these vulnerabilities as yet, it is vital that iPhone and iPod touch users understand the importance of this latest update.

"Without it, they are leaving themselves potentially wide open to attack - it pays to remember that no operating system is invincible."

Pay for it or pay for it

As for having to pay for the update, Cluley explains: "There's no doubt that some iPod touch users will be unhappy that they have to pay for their devices to be fixed, and it's certainly unusual for a company to charge for important security patches like this.

"In an ideal world Apple would make free fixes available for iPod Touch users who don't feel they need cut-and-paste and other new features, but do want to be able to use the internet securely."

For more on this, visit www.sophos.com.

Marc Chacksfield

Marc Chacksfield is the Editor In Chief, Shortlist.com at DC Thomson. He started out life as a movie writer for numerous (now defunct) magazines and soon found himself online - editing a gaggle of gadget sites, including TechRadar, Digital Camera World and Tom's Guide UK. At Shortlist you'll find him mostly writing about movies and tech, so no change there then.