The Siri voice-recognition app on the iPhone 4S is designed to provide easy access to any random question your mind can dream up, but is your new digital best friend also a security threat?
According to security firm Sophos, Siri can be activated even on an iPhone 4S that has been password-protected.
"Even if an iPhone 4S is locked with a passcode, a complete stranger can come up to your smartphone, press the button and give Siri a spoken command," analyst Graham Cluley wrote in a blog post.
Cluley said he borrowed his co-worker's locked iPhone 4S and, without the passcode, was able to fire up Siri and write an email and send a text message. "If I had wanted to I could have meddled with his calendar appointments too," Cluley wrote.
There is, however, a workaround that will let security-conscious users disable Siri when the phone is locked. In Settings>General>Passcode, slide the option next to Siri to off. "That way Siri cannot be used when the smartphone is locked with a passcode," Cluley wrote.
It's a simple fix, he said, but "what's disappointing to me though is that Apple had a clear choice here." The company opted for a default mode that was "more about impressing your buddies than securing your calendar and email system." Siri is not yet an impressive enough feature to jeopardize your mobile security, Cluley warned.
For more, see Help, Siri Doesn't Understand My Name! and the slideshow below. Also check out 30 Questions and Commands for Siri as well as How to Use Siri and What is Siri?