iPhone 4 Security Flaw Exposed (AAPL)

Apple Inc.’s

iPhone 4 has a security flaw that can be exploited by users to install unwanted applications and obtain personal information, software maker Symantec Corp.

and the German government said. According to a Bloomberg report, "The vulnerability takes advantage of weaknesses in how certain documents are presented on the iPhone and Apple must take steps to correct it, Symantec said yesterday on its website. Attackers may exploit the gaps to read passwords and e- mails, eavesdrop on phone calls and use built-in cameras, Germany’s Federal Office for Information Security said today." Apple spokeswoman Natalie Harrison said the company is aware of the reports is investigating them. “While this is the only currently known exploit for this issue and it is non-malicious, it is quite possible for an attacker to alter the existing payload for a malicious purpose,” Symantec’s director of security response Kevin Haley wrote in a blog post on the Symantec website. Shares of Apple gained 0.4% today, to close at $262.98.