Dive into OS X

A team of independent security experts has found a flaw in the Apple iPhone that allows hackers to take control of the device, the New York Times reported on Monday.

The researchers at Independent Security Evaluators, which test the security of devices by hacking them, found that the Wi-Fi connectivity of the iPhone allowed them to take control of it and mine the wealth of private information the phones contain. The researchers also said that they could redirect users to a malicious Web site that could also circumvent the security on the phone.

“Once you did manage to find a hole, you were in complete control,” said Charles Miller, the principal security analyst for the firm.

The company, based in Baltimore, alerted Apple about the vulnerability this week and recommended a software patch that could solve the problem.

“Apple takes security very seriously and has a great track record of addressing potential vulnerabilities before they can affect users,” Apple spokeswoman Lynn Fox said. “We’re looking into the report submitted by ISE and always welcome feedback on how to improve our security,” she said.

The company said there was no evidence that this flaw had been exploited or that users had been affected, and it knew of no other exploits of this nature.

Hackers around the world have been trying to unveil the secrets of the iPhone since its release last month; most have focused their efforts on unlocking the phone from its sole wireless provider, AT&T, and getting unauthorized programs to run on it. The iPhone is a closed system that cannot accept outside programs and can be used only with the AT&T wireless network.

Some of those hackers have posted bulletins of their progress on the Web. A posting went up on Friday that a hacker going by the name of “Nightwatch” had created and started an independent program on the phone.

The ISE researchers were able to crack the phone’s software in a week, said Aviel Rubin, the firm’s founder and the technical director of the Information Security Institute at Johns Hopkins University.