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Earlier this week, the news of the first iPhone worm made its way around the net. Since the worm only targeted jailbroken devices and then only those which had the SSH program installed, there wasn't a need for concern on the part of most iPhone users. However, a second hacker tool which uses the same security hole as the so-called iKee worm has reared its head and this one is far more dangerous. According to security firm Intego, the new hacker tool goes after personal data stored on the device including email, contacts, SMS messages, calendars, photos, music files, videos and any other data recorded by any iPhone app.

In other words, if you're the owner of a jailbroken phone, you should now be concerned.

Numerous reports have surfaced over the weekend regarding the first iPhone worm spotted in the wild. The worm, known as iKee, only affects modified handsets also known as "jailbroken" devices. These devices have been hacked by their owners to allow for the installation of unapproved, third-party programs that aren't allowed in the iTunes App Store.

Currently, the worm doesn't appear to be all that malicious - it simply changes the phone's background image to a photo of singer Rick Astley, the man whose song "Never Gonna Give You Up" has become a well-known internet meme called "rickrolling," a joke where users are tricked into clicking links that redirect them to Astley's YouTube video.

Despite the relatively innocuous nature of this particular attack, it may be the precursor to future attacks of a more malicious nature. But how dangerous will these attacks be to the iPhone-owning population as a whole? Is there really a need for concern?

The latest outbreaks of Twitter and Facebook worms have once again shown that while antivirus and malware protection often focuses on dealing with threats once they have already landed on a user's computer, proactive protection is really the way to go on the net. The paid and free versions AVG 9, which launched today, include an enhanced link scanner that can handle shortened URLs and analyze a site in real time.