While for the most part, Apple’s recent iOS firmware releases have been pretty solid, with the exception of some minor flaws, it appears that they’ve seriously overlooked one major bug in iOS 4.1 allowing iPhone units across the globe to become vulnerable to unauthorized use.

iOS 4.1 security flaw9to5Mac has discovered that by pressing the “Emergency Call” button when an iOS 4.1-running iPhone is locked then dialing a non-emergency number and quickly pressing “Send” followed by the iPhone’s lock key, the iPhone will then launch the “Phone” app. Once you’re in, you can then access the contacts, dial pad, recent calls, favorites, and voicemail on the iPhone. On a good note, however, the “Home” button is still in active thus keeping your other apps safe from unauthorized use. This security flaw also appears to be limited to the iPhone 4.

Here’s a short video demo of how this vulnerability works:

BGR has relayed the info to Apple already though the company has yet to officially address the issue. So for you iPhone 4 users out there who are already running on iOS 4.1, treat this as a heads up and a warning that your iPhone’s not as secure as you think it is.