According to PandaLabs, the malware investigative arm of Panda Security, the company's researchers were able to infect a jailbroken iPad using the same iPhone/Eeki worm that affects the iPhone.
And, as PandaLabs’ technical director Luis Corrons pointed out, this is quite logical because the iPhone and iPad share a common operating system. As he noted in his security blog: “If we jailbreak the iPad, in theory we should be able to infect it”.
Sean-Paul Correll, a researcher with PandaLabs, demonstrated a successful proof-of-concept malware infection for the iPad in a video posted to the PandaLabs blog. But, as Infosecurity notes, it appears that such a malware infection is only possible at this time on jailbroken iPad devices, as Apple has closed off its iPad to third-party peripherals and only permits application installation through its approved app store.
Nevertheless, as Corrons noted, malware infections are still possible on both the iPhone and iPad via operating system vulnerabilities, and, in some cases, malicious apps that could sneak through Apple’s filters.
“This doesn't mean we're about to face an avalanche of infections”, Corrons said. “We have always stated that as Apple takes more market share, cyber-crooks will begin to show more interest in targeting those that use this platform. However, we are certainly beginning to see more proofs of concept, and so we would advise all users to follow the manufacturer's recommendations to maximize security on their operating systems”.