Catch up on stories from the past week (and beyond) at the Slashdot story archive

 



Forgot your password?
typodupeerror
×
Cellphones Handhelds Software Apple

IOS 4.1 Jailbroken Already 315

mspohr writes "Just hours after Apple released iOS 4.1 to great fanfare, hardware hackers found a way to jailbreak devices that run the new operating system. More surprising still, there doesn't appear to be anything Steve Jobs can do to stop them in the near future. The exploit in the boot ROM of iOS devices was first announced by iPhone Dev-Team member pod2g. It was soon confirmed by other hackers, who said that because the exploit targets such a low-level part of the operating system, Apple won't be able to stop jailbreakers without making significant hardware changes."
This discussion has been archived. No new comments can be posted.

IOS 4.1 Jailbroken Already

Comments Filter:
  • Apple's security (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Thursday September 09, 2010 @08:01AM (#33519238)

    Apple always says Mac OS X and Apple products are secure, non-exploitable and virus free. How are there exploits then?

    • If you have a system that people can get at and modify, then there is no such thing as a secure system. This idea that you can make an OS that can't be exploited is BS. Certainly things can be done to make it harder, but you can't make it impossible.

      You discover that in the event you do need something, like say a database server, that is "exploit free" that to get it you have to cope with a lot of restrictions. The company that sells it to you, someone like IBM, will be providing the hardware, OS, software,

    • Re: (Score:2, Flamebait)

      Is your house secure? What if you let me hang out on the back porch with a crowbar for a while? Still secure?

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      by jefe7777 ( 411081 )
      if you have physical access to the box, all bets are off.

      you must be new here...

      • if you have physical access to the box, all bets are off.
        you must be new here...

        I bet you can make it too expensive to be worthwhile.

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      Never, never believe in propaganda.
    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      It's mathematically impossible to make a device completely safe from someone who has complete physical control over it. You can encrypt this and that all you like, but it's literally only a matter of time before someone applies enough computing power and breaks said rights-management. Boot loaders can be heavily obfuscated against reverse engineering, but since the device has to actually boot and work at some point, there's a key to the proverbial lock in that haystack somewhere. I hope I'm making sense, co
      • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

        by mlts ( 1038732 )

        It is also mathematically impossible to make a 100% secure symmetric crypto algorithm if the key is shorter than the data being enciphered. However, we can make something that won't be broken even after the universe dies a heat death.

        Same with devices. Look at the PS3. It took 5 years for any notable breaks to happen, and as time goes on, it will become harder and harder because it will be easier to embed the critical startup keys in layers of epoxy and tamper-resistant circuitry that can't be dealt with

    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      by joeyblades ( 785896 )

      Apple never said that their products are secure, non-exploitable and virus free.

      What Apple actually says is that their products come with "built-in defenses against viruses and other malware".

  • Come on guys (Score:4, Insightful)

    by dbIII ( 701233 ) on Thursday September 09, 2010 @08:08AM (#33519288)
    Just get a Nokia N900 that already gives you full root access and lets you boot into other stuff anyway without encouraging this closed and inferior platform.
    • But it's not as shiny nor powerful!

      • But it's not as shiny nor powerful!

        shh don't tell my N900 or it might stop working on YouTube. It is not about how much power you have but how you use it.

    • I've got both an iPhone 3G and a Nokia N900 (and also an iPad). Back in April I switched to the N900 because I liked it and it was open. I switched back around the start of July. The reason was simple enough - the application range for the N900 sucked badly, and the Ovi store is extremely poor.

      Even with a fully open platform at their disposal, the application market is sorely lacking and the closed platform wins hands down. If I could have the iPhones application market on the N900s hardware, I would
      • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

        by KiloByte ( 825081 )

        You're not supposed to get your software from Ovi (which is worthless), but from Debian (which is the biggest OS distribution in existence).

    • Re:Come on guys (Score:4, Interesting)

      by Jesus_666 ( 702802 ) on Thursday September 09, 2010 @09:16AM (#33519960)
      Remember that iOS also runs on iPods. When I buy a PDA/MP3 player I don't necessarily want it to have a mobile phone built in. I also don't neccessarily want to pay some four hundred bucks for it. Plus there's the demographic of those who used the Back to School offer or bought their iPod second hand or refurbished.

      My touch cost me thirty-five bucks (Back to School; I was getting a new MBP and happened across the offer). Unless you can show me a Nokia smartphone for that price I'm going to be content with having to jailbreak it.
  • by StripedCow ( 776465 ) on Thursday September 09, 2010 @08:12AM (#33519318)

    Sigh, here are some problems I have with these kind of hacks:

    1. If it really becomes a problem for steve, he will block it at the hardware level in the next major version, or even in the next minor version.
    2. I cannot rely on the fact that there will always be a jailbreak available if I lose my phone, due to 1.
    3. It is only semi-legal. Apple will not like me.
    4. I loose support.
    5. Companies cannot be based on these kind of hacks due to 1,2,3,4, so there will never be a large user-base (or it will grow very slowly)
    6. ...
    7. No profit! Due to 5. :)

    • 1. If it really becomes a problem for steve, he will block it at the hardware level in the next major version, or even in the next minor version.

      The escalation ends at jailbroken, not in protected. Unless you consider possible the full encapsulation of the hardware in a block of resine.

      2. I cannot rely on the fact that there will always be a jailbreak available if I lose my phone, due to 1.

      1 is false. The argument is similar to "there won't always be cracked versions of windows", i.e.: so unlikely it doesn't really add much to the analysis.

      3. It is only semi-legal. Apple will not like me.

      Obvious. Non-argument.

      4. I lose support.

      Only a part of it. But this is completely true and sufficient argument to never crack technology. Exactly the same that we told people some time ago about "clonic computers". Don't play with elec

    • Re: (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Animaether ( 411575 )

      1. And the problem with that is...? I mean.. I'm not sure what you're trying to imply there.. that hackers should go for higher level hacks first so that maybe in the next generation of the hardware they can still use those hacks? Wouldn't that lofty idea go against your remaining points, though?

      2. I'm not sure what part you're relying on when you lose a piece of hardware that is dissimilar from another piece of hardware - even if that hardware is only slightly dissimilar - nor what role a jailbreak plays

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by PhilHibbs ( 4537 )

        3.honestly? you think it's only semi-legal? You do realize it's -your- device, right? and you care that Apple wouldn't like you?

        So, is it legal to saw off a shotgun, or to convert a replica gun to be functional? There are laws that govern our behaviour, and sadly the DMCA (and the ECD over here in Europe) [i]might[/i] make this kind of thing illegal, although I think there was a recent pro-jailbreaking ruling in the US that might put colonials in the clear.

    • by jamesh ( 87723 )

      1. If it really becomes a problem for steve, he will block it at the hardware level in the next major version, or even in the next minor version.

      I've never bothered jailbreaking my iPhone (3GS) so this would actually be really cool if it happened (assuming it's a hardware update that applies to all future iPhones but doesn't affect existing iPhones) - my iPhone which is now nearly 12 months old suddenly becomes much more valuable as the 'classic' hackable model :)

    • As a former iPhone user who recently switched to Android based phones (not because I disliked the iPhone, mind you - but simply because I disliked AT&T), I've seen a weird "disconnect" between ultimately similar issues with both platforms.
      The media is constantly harping on the iPhone and its current jailbreak situation. Is firmware X broken? What does the LAW say about that? Is Steve Jobs pissed about it? What happens when firmware X.1 is released? Will jailbreakers skip the minor release and save

      • It's not news in the Android world because it's not so much a fight. You do see articles on how the Droid X / Droid 2 have locked bootloaders/eFuses, but you also see news on things like CyanogenMod 6 coming out. Everything about jailbreaking is news in the Apple world because it's Not Supposed To Happen or is Hard (for the hackers) To Accomplish.

      • by silentcoder ( 1241496 ) on Thursday September 09, 2010 @09:43AM (#33520530)

        As an android user - let me enlighten you.
        The android platform is DESIGNED to be rootable and hackable, the phone made by the android developers - the Nexus 1 comes with rooting just a click away.

        There ARE other manufacturers who try to make rooting harder - none of them have made it particularly impossible, I rooted mine in an hour. But you cannot blame this on the platform. It's not Android that made HTC obfuscate their bootloader, that is HTC's fault alone. In apple's case the hardware and software are always from the same source. In android's case it almost never is - so that adds an important distinction.

        Finally - nobody roots their systems because we "have to in order to use a feature". We do it because by using thirdparty versions of android we can get certain features sooner, or run newer versions of the OS - or hell just enjoy having a root shell on our phones - some of us have FUN with that.

        I rooted my HTC desire to get CyanoGenMod for Froyo 2.2 - about a week before HTC brought out an OTA update for Sense based on it. Didn't bug me much - I had no guarantee of said version coming now or ever, I had no wish to wait for it and I liked being able to upgrade when I wanted to. I also having now used both prefer CyanoGenMod over Sense - it's a stabler UI with less bugs and a cleaner, slicker interface to work with while still being the same essential android in it's core design (of course that part is a subjective judgement but speaking for myself - I prefer it).

        Having rooted once - I now control the bootloader with my own recovery version and goldcard which means I can now install any rom code I want. I can swap at any time. I can backup the current rom try something else and restore it if I wanted to...

        I like having power over my device. Apple actively tries to stop me getting it. Android actively encourages it and even when a device maker tries to follow the apple approach once broken it's broken for good - and without the associated risks of jailbreaking an iPhone. I'll still get updates, I will still get fixes because many third-parties provide them. I still have the official appmarket working just fine and I know it always will because google makes it freely available so modmakers can provide packages to install it (though they are not allowed to preinstall it inside the mod).

        In short - the reason you see such a huge disconnect is because you're comparing apples with oranges. It only looks similar from a distance - in reality the two platforms approach to user restriction couldn't be further removed from each other and rooting an android is a much lesser deal than rooting an iphone.
        Iphone's are jailbroken to enable power the user should have had the choice to get in the first place.
        Androids are rooted because hacking devices is FUN.

        • Iphone's are jailbroken to enable power the user should have had the choice to get in the first place.
          Androids are rooted because hacking devices is FUN.

          For far greater numbers of people:

          iPhones are jailbroken in order to rip off commercial apps.
          Androids are jailbroken because phone manufacturers/networks are slow to/don't upgrade the OS to a recent version.

    • Well here is a question...
      Unlike other Holes to jailbreak the iPhone, would this be considered a security problem with the phone in general?
      If Yes then Apple would probably fix it.
      If No Apple will not probably fix the hole.

      I doubt apple really cares that much about the jail broken phones. Sure apple fixes the problems as it could be part of a greater security risk. But I don't think it is apples best interests to invest money in stopping those jail breakers who have purchased their products, and willingly

    • by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

      If it really becomes a problem for steve, he will block it at the hardware level in the next major version

      That won't affect you unless you like buying the same gear over and over. If I already have an iThing, what happens to new iThings won't concern me.

      It is only semi-legal. Apple will not like me.

      There's no such thing as "semi-legal". If there's no law against it, it's legal. If there is, it's not. Some things really are black and white. And personally, I really don't give a rat's ass if Apple or any othe

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by PenisLands ( 930247 )
      Have you considered that Apple is secretly supporting these hacks? If you're to use a phone, Apple wants you to use an iPhone. So they make it possible to jailbreak the phone in order to make it more attractive, and if you choose to do it, they void your warranty so they never have to support you or replace it for any reason. Apple wins all around.
    • But if you lose #5, then Apple can kiss off about 5-8% of their phones due to those that want the feature and another 10% due to the 'coolness' of it. Once Apple loses that panache, they will not get it back. And they will continue downward.
    • by mlts ( 1038732 )

      Don't forget #8: If Apple really wants to declare war on the JB scene, they could easily implement a tattle-tale device or some form of check to see if a phone is JB-ed or not. If so, its ESN gets banned off all networks, device reset, and because of this, it won't be able to be activated. Earlier iPhones could be hacktivated, but the 4 would be pretty much rendered into spare parts by this.

  • by CodePwned ( 1630439 ) on Thursday September 09, 2010 @08:12AM (#33519326)

    If I was a business who KNEW I'm fighting a world full of hackers I wouldn't fight them... I would help them. Most people wouldn't care, but those that I said "Hey, we've made it easy for you to do stuff... show me what you can do better and I'll pay you for it!

    Apple instead wants to completely control how the users use their devices... and that just won't fly in today's world. That's like slapping a bull and kicking him in the balls. He's gonna ram you

    • by smash ( 1351 )

      DRM. Apple sell devices that play and protect secure DRM'd content. The fact that hacks keep coming out and left reasonably open for local user leads me to believe that Apple in reality don't care so much, but have an obligation to the big content producers to give "best effort" to keep the device secure.

      That said.... I've had an iphone 3g, currently have a 3G-S. I jail-broke the 3G, had a look at some of the software on Cydia, didn't really find anything worth shit to me (plenty of novelty apps that

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by thasmudyan ( 460603 )

        The fact that hacks keep coming out and left reasonably open for local user leads me to believe that Apple in reality don't care so much, but have an obligation to the big content producers to give "best effort" to keep the device secure.

        No, Apple would like to sue jailbreakers for their last penny if they could:
        http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/2010/07/feds-ok-iphone-jailbreaking/ [wired.com]

        It's only after a protracted legal fight and sheer judicial coincidence that users are legally allowed to jailbreak their own de

    • by symes ( 835608 )
      (1) Naive users will find ways to screw things up and come running for help. Some might even forget to turn the device on and still, in a state of apoplexy, come running for help. This is the way things are. (2) Naive users are content if their phone, pc, microwave or whatever, does stuff in a way broadly consistent with what they want it to do and most are completely disinterested in fiddling around with their shiny new gadget in any shape or form. Due to 1. the number of opportunities (freedom to tinker)
    • by BasilBrush ( 643681 ) on Thursday September 09, 2010 @08:46AM (#33519562)

      Because content providers like to be paid for their products. If you go to one of the app crack web-sites, it's amazing how so many jailbreakers can afford to buy an iPhone, but will then go to some effort to steal 99c from an app developer.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by Y2KDragon ( 525979 )
      This reminds me of Apple's 1984 commercial. Then, they wanted to fight the tyrany of though control and obedience. Today, they have become that which they reviled then. The circle is complete.
  • Comment removed (Score:3, Insightful)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Thursday September 09, 2010 @08:13AM (#33519330)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • For the same reason millions of people buy gaming console? "Because they satisfy one or more of your tech-needs at a price you are willing to pay"? Hell, the ability to download pr0n on-the-go and render/consume it on a "Retina display" is probably in itself worth the asking price for an iPhone4... ;-) - Jesper
    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      You know, you could, i don't know, buy a phone? I don't really know how it's in the States, but here in Belgium you can walk into any old store and buy a phone that comes from the manufacturer directly, no network lock-in, no crapware (other then what the manufacturer installed) and best of all, it's *yours*.

      I own a HTC Legend, i don't need to jailbreak it to use it.
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion
      • by scrib ( 1277042 )

        While this may be theoretically possible, it's not practical. We Americans have come to expect our phones to be free (or very cheap) with a contract. Of course, cell phone service plans cover the cost of the phone. That's all fine and good, but it is terribly difficult (if not impossible) to find a service plan that actually costs less if you already own a phone. If you buy the phone at the street price and then go get a service plan, you end up paying for the phone twice. Rather than pay twice, we tend to

    • by smash ( 1351 )

      would someone buy a piece of hardware that continually needs to be "jailbroken" just to be able to be used in the way they want to use it?

      Because for a huge number of people, the device does NOT need to be jailbroken to be used in the way they want to use it. Including myself. I jailbroke my first iphone, saw there was nothing REALLY of use that I couldn't do with signed approved app-store code, and didn't bother on my 3g-s.

      Am i representative of 100% of the /. community? Of course not, but in reality

    • Why on earth would someone buy a piece of hardware that continually needs to be "jailbroken" just to be able to be used in the way they want to use it?

      I give you the answer to that and many other questions. The answer that you should try on any question before even thinking whether there's a better answer: "People are stupid".

  • by Drakkenmensch ( 1255800 ) on Thursday September 09, 2010 @08:16AM (#33519336)
    For those software engineers still convinced that they can craft the perfect, unbreakable, uncrackable security, you should take two hours of your life and go rent Titanic, the movie about the "unsinkable" White Star cruise liner. There's a valuable metaphore in there for you.
  • by mario_grgic ( 515333 ) on Thursday September 09, 2010 @08:17AM (#33519346)
    By the sound of it, Apple's next move will be to lock down the devices at the hardware level (this gives them a good excuse) and they will have no second thoughts about doing it at all. This means even more locked down "trusted computing" devices in our future. And the sad thing is the consumers won't care either way.
    • They already are locked down at the hardware level, since the 3GS was released. The device will only load a signed bootrom, the bootrom will only load a signed kernel.
    • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

      They already ARE locked down at the hardware level, genius. Just try installing a custom firmware on an iphone or ipod.

  • The best solution to the Apple Problem is simple: do not buy their products.

    Perhaps Jobs and co. will realize that many of their end users are not the mindless idiots they seem to think everyone is.

    Personally I will never purchase or endorse Apple products. I am, like many Slashdotters, the family computer fixit guy, but I've made it quite clear that I won't touch anything by Apple. My computers are iTunes and Quicktime free for a reason.

    This was posted from my Galaxy S Vibrant, easily rooted (I do not envy

    • by nOw2 ( 1531357 ) on Thursday September 09, 2010 @08:34AM (#33519462)

      I am, like many Slashdotters, the family computer fixit guy,.

      Well, that's what you get if your family doesn't use Macs.

    • by mcgrew ( 92797 ) *

      Perhaps Jobs and co. will realize that many of their end users are not the mindless idiots they seem to think everyone is.

      Just because someone isn't technically savvy doesn't make them a mindless idiot. I know a whole lot of otherwis extremely intelligent people who can't plug a DVD into a TV. One fellow I know [slashdot.org] has an IQ of 160, is a math whiz (MBA who made millions at one point before dropping out and giving it all up), chessmaster, yet has to find someone to put minutes on his phone for him.

      Apple is for p

  • http://redpark.com/news.html [redpark.com]
    I would like a wired networking option. Would this be hard for a home hacker?
  • Steve instead of trying to forever prevent iPhone users use the same as they want, he could simply accept the fact that users want to use their phones as they want and not as he wants. I am an example of those who like the style of the iPhone, but will never buy one because I'd be "stuck" when he says that I can or can not do. It's the same thing that you buy a computer and the manufacturer say that you can only use the their operating system (and the SO sucks or does not do what you want or need).

    The iP
    • by dwightk ( 415372 )

      That would make the negotiations with media and cell companies go well, I'm sure.

      • hahaha, I agree. But we have a interesting dilema here... What is more important: make media and cell companies happy, or make yours cell buyers (we) happy?
    • by dtml-try MyNick ( 453562 ) on Thursday September 09, 2010 @09:30AM (#33520270)

      You're forgetting something important here I think.
      Only a very small fraction of the iPhone users actually attempt to jailbreak their device. The majority of people is perfectly happy with the way it works and have no desire to 'hack' it.

      Let's not forget that apart from the very closed system it uses the iPhone itself is very very well designed in terms of usability.

      When I bought my 3GS it didn't even come with a manual. Just the phone and some cables and stuff. Now, that's a bold statement.
      Telling your customers 'our device is so user friendly that you don't need a manual, it just works and you'll understand completely how it works without any help needed at all'.

      Steve's fight against jailbreaking is a useless fight and he knows that. I think apple only tries to not let it get out of hand. But I don't think it worries them too much. 90% of their customers don't care about it anyway and rightfully so.

      Of course, when I saw a HTC desire running Android in action I ditched my iPhone and orderded a Desire rightaway ;-)

    • >The iPhone has the potential to be the IBM PC from the cellphones,

      Aaah but you forget the IBM PC destroyed apple's once dominant position as PC supplier. So much so that nobody even refers to apple's computers as PC's anymore even though they invented them and coined the term in the first place !

      If THAT didn't teach Steve that in the long run "open do whatever you want with it" always wins then nothing will.

      On the other hand - apple's computers are STILL closed up "do only what we tell you" with them. A

  • This sort of crap - companies locking you out of your stuff - will continue.

    Do you want to know who's to blame?

    It's that creepy person who is following you around - you know, the one who's always in the mirror looking at you?

    Here's what needs to happen to make this stuff NOT happen:
    1) Customers need to DEMAND sales contracts that PROHIBIT companies from unilaterally changing the contract after the fact.
    2) Customers need to DEMAND sales contracts that PROHIBIT removal of features from devices after sale with

    • by ledow ( 319597 )

      Or, you could just stop buying that shit. Sorta like number 3 but no nearly so complex and inter-related. The fact that lots of people still do means that the majority of them don't care about those same things.

      I don't know how many times I've had to explain to people about the iTunes installation limits, DVD/BluRay region encoding, HDCP and other similar things, but it doesn't stop *anyone* from actually using that service/product. We that actually care are in the minority. And it's *incredibly* simple

  • Team Twiizers discovered a vulnerability in one of the low-level boot files of the Wii [bootmii.org], which Nintendo couldn't fix since it was in ROM. They've since started shipping new units with an updated boot ROM that patches the hole, but all older Wiis are basically permanently vulnerable. Something similar will likely happen with iOS devices.

  • Seriously, Apple wants this to occur. They do not want to have MS style security where every virus and worm writers has loads of openings to work with and steal your stuff, but, they obviously do not want the phone totally locked down. By having it be rooted, then more and more hackers will write interesting code. And it looks to the multi-media and transport company think that Apple is working to do their job, when in fact, they are not.

    Apple wants to block the crackers, but desperately needs hackers dev
  • by Centurix ( 249778 ) <centurixNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Thursday September 09, 2010 @09:54AM (#33520760) Homepage

    If they're releasing Jailbreaks this close to the release of an OS then it seems to make sense that they've got a list of vulnerabilities stashed away somewhere. All they do when Apple releases the next one is go down the list. The time between the OS being released and the Jailbreak is only going to be them tidying up the distribution of the Jailbreak so people can do it to phones in the Apple store. The Jailbreakers would be foolish to unleash the lowest level Jailbreak at this point as they could end up with nowhere to go after this. I was surprised with the last one where you could just visit a web page to get the job done. Good job the page just Jailbroke the phone and didn't decide to steal all your data or install something nasty that somehow managed to survive even an iTunes restore.

  • apple should just be a little more open with the app store and make it free to have free apps in it. Let's say no $99 year fee to have free apps in store.

  • Since Steve has to make hardware changes anyway in order to keep out those dastardly freedom loving jailbreakers, how about fixing his antenna while he's at it?

"What man has done, man can aspire to do." -- Jerry Pournelle, about space flight

Working...