By Kevin McLaughlin for CMP Channel
Apple in February plans to release a software development kit that will allow third party developers to write their own applications for the iPhone and iPod Touch. In a Wednesday post on Apple’s “Hot News” weblog, Apple CEO Steve Jobs said the SDK will allow developers to take advantage of Apple’s powerful mobile platform and create “hundreds of new applications” for iPhone users.

“We are working on an advanced system which will offer developers broad access to natively program the iPhone’s amazing software platform while at the same time protecting users from malicious programs,” Jobs wrote.

Jobs said the problem of malware on mobile devices is a serious one that Apple is going to great lengths to address in the SDK. “As our phones become more powerful, these malicious programs will become more dangerous. And since the iPhone is the most advanced phone ever, it will be a highly visible target,” he wrote.

The move comes after several third party iPhone hacks, some of which allow third party applications to run, others that untether the device from Cingular, the exclusive carrier for the iPhone in the U.S.

Several high profile iPhone security vulnerabilities have been uncovered since the popular mobile device was released in June. Earlier this week, security researcher HD Moore posted exploit code online that takes advantage of a flaw in the iPhone that he says Apple hasn’t fixed in any of the four firmware updates it has released for the device.

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