Apple Says iPhone Jailbreaking Could Hurt Cell Towers 495
AHuxley writes "Apple suggests that the nation's cellphone networks could be open to 'potentially catastrophic' cyberattacks by iPhone-using hackers at home and abroad if iPhone owners are permitted to legally jailbreak their wireless devices. The Copyright Office is currently considering a request by the Electronic Frontier Foundation to legalize the widespread practice of jailbreaking. Apple has responded to the request by saying that if the 'baseband processor' software — which enables a connection to cell phone towers — is exposed, then a user could crash the tower software, or use the Exclusive Chip Identification number to make calls anonymously. Apple also thinks its closed business model is what made the iPhone a success. The Vodafone scandal from a few years back showed how a network could be compromised, but that was from within. So, what do you think? Is Apple playing the 'evil genius' hacker card or can 'anyone' with a smartphone and a genius friend pop a US cell tower?"
Makes you wonder (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Ignorance is bliss (Score:5, Interesting)
Apple is partially right. Their closed business model has lead to the success of the iPhone. (Happy now?)
Seriously. The tight control on the user experience is what maintains the appeal of the device. For most people.
However, where they're wrong is in thinking that they need to prevent jailbreaking in order to maintain this. The people jailbreaking their phones aren't in the majority who bought the phone for the slick and stylish integration. They're a harmless minority, and Apple should be grateful for the extra revenue that a little bit of hacking has brought in.
Also, the part about being a risk to networks is nonsense.
Same Old Apple - 1980s Over Again (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:The protect the baseband processor only (Score:3, Interesting)
That's what every other mobile operating system does. Apple is essentially suggesting that they are less competent.
Remember how they were playing up the "security flaws" of the other mobile devices, to rationalize not having an SDK, then to rationalize having a closed SDK, and yet, every jailbreak technique roots the device. The iPhone is demonstratively the least secure mobile device out there.
Re:This is worrying... (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Ummm... (Score:3, Interesting)
If jailbroken iPhones can hurt cell towers, then it's already too late, because there are already jailbroken iPhones.
If jailbroken iPhones can hurt towers, so can un-jailbroken (incarcerated?) ones. All it takes is a bug . . .
Re:Wow (Score:3, Interesting)
"A phone is the piece of tech that you can never really own."
Not really.
I mean, theoretically anyway. The Neo Freerunner was a tragically badly run project with old technology, a huge price tag and general stink of FAIL. That said, it was a fully programmable phone that you owned and could be used just fine with a base station. Hell, dev models of the android phones are also like this.
Built in obsolescence is only a problem because the state of the art is advancing so rapidly. Like PCs in the late 90s and early 00s. Now you don't care if a machine is two years old. Back then that made it useless.
This is just pure apple fear-mongering.
Europe (Score:1, Interesting)
How come 'jailbreaking' cellphones is not a problen for Europe? There it is a legal right.
Re:Makes you wonder (Score:3, Interesting)
If this is true then they all apps potentially have complete access to the raw cell network, surely this is a bad idea?
On a normal phone, or any other smartphone the cell layer and the application layer are almost completely separate ....
Either Apple have done some severely sloppy programming or they are lying ?
Re:Wow (Score:3, Interesting)
I haven't read the story but I guarantee that this argument was a product of the Lawyer's Algorithm, which is as follows:
List all objections to the matter at hand
While true {
List all conceivable objections premised on the prior objections being rejected
}
Re:Think of the towers (Score:2, Interesting)
Re:Think of the towers (Score:5, Interesting)
The funniest part is... [google.com]
I guess you're not supposed to do such things when you run a company that makes handsets, though.
Re:Think of the towers (Score:3, Interesting)
One cell phone a mile away from a tower can block the tower from all the other cellphones? I call pure unadulterated BS. This sounds like old wives' tales(esp. coming from a AC) like the tales the G4 and G5 are better than their Intel equivalents. Will not stop it from getting modded up though, as it already is.
Re:Think of the towers (Score:0, Interesting)
Unlocking currently requires a jailbreak. (Score:3, Interesting)
My 3Gs is not jailbroken or unlocked but I had to jailbreak and unlock my 3G before I sold it as it was sold to someone on the Rogers network and that phone was bought at Fido. I would rather not have to risk using untested and forensically unverified just to be able to use foreign sims in my 3GS and I'd be willing to pay a fee to Fido to be able to unlock the device.
Carriers should give consumers a break but giving a legal/official option for unlocking phones especially if we bought it unsubsidized.