News about a recently discovered security hole in the new iPhone’s software were received with great interest, as the flaw apparently exposes the e-mail, voice messages and text to anyone accessing the device even if the password-protection is activated.

In order to access the information, one must select the emergency call and double-click the ‘home’ button; these actions bring up iPhone 2.0.2’s favorites, opening the address book, the dial keypad and voice mail. In addition to this, by clicking the blue arrows found by the names you can access private information in a favorite entry, by clicking a mail address allows access to the mail application, by clicking on a URL from the contact information opens up Safari and finally, by clicking on ‘send a text message’ provides complete access to the text message directory.

Out of all the actions mentioned above, Apple only mentions in its advisory the emergency call: "The Passcode Lock feature is designed to prevent applications from being launched unless the correct passcode is entered. An implementation issue in the handling of emergency calls allows users with physical access to an iPhone to launch an application without the passcode. This update addresses the issue through an improved check on the state of the Passcode Lock."

Even though the flaw does not provide complete access to the device, it is still enough for a potential attacker to cause a significant amount of problems with costly data charges and also the access to important and valuable personal information.

As expected, Apple did not rush with an official statement and the company’s response is still awaited by many of its clients. Gizmodo notes on its Web site that a fix is currently in development but until then worried iPhone users can solve the problem by changing the phone’s general settings. All it takes is to switch the destination of the ‘home’ button to the actual Home screen, which demands the passcode to access, or the iPod function, which does not access the phone features.

The flaw represents the latest issue linked to the new 3G iPhone in a long list of problems recorded since its launch. The most delicate of all the complaints is the one about the smartphone’s connection instability which leads to a series of problems with the users’ calls. Many reported interruptions during their conversations and even dropped calls. At the time, Apple’s US carrier, AT&T, backed up its partner and released a statement through its spokesman Michael Coe, saying that the iPhone’s performance, just like any other device’s, is directly linked to a series of factors such as the proximity of the user to a cell tower and interference from buildings and trees. Also, to further strengthen the company’s position he concluded that "Overall, the new iPhone is performing just great on our 3G network."

The interest in dropped calls is significantly smaller now and the current problem, if handled in the near future as expected, will also be put behind. We’ll just have to see what other good or bad news on the iPhone come up over the next few weeks.