Apple will have to be quick to react to a software crack
which makes it possible for unapproved software to be used on the
new iPhone.
A teenager has moved away from normal hacker etiquette by making
available an application that will enable users to download
software onto iPhones even if it is not in the Apple App Store
before Apple has a chance to create a fix.
He said he usually gives Apple a chance to work on the fix.
The jailbreaking tool has been made available to the public.
Hacker George Hotz said in his blog that he does not usually
make these tools available to the public.
"Normally I don't make tools for the general public, and rather
wait for the dev team to do it. But guys, what's up with waiting
until 3.1? That isn't how the game is played. We release, Apple
fixes, we find new holes. It isn't worth waiting because you might
have the 'last' hole in the iPhone. What last hole this isn't golf.
I'll find a new one next week."
In August 2007
Hotz demonstrated the first Hardware unlock of the iPhone using
a technique that was developed by hackers. This allowed the iPhone
to be used with any SIM card.
Apple is also working on a security patch for the iPhone to fix
a
vulnerability that could be exploited by cybercriminals.
The vulnerability in the way iPhones handle text messages was
demonstrated by independent security adviser Charlie Miller at the
SyScan security conference in Singapore. Miller demonstrated that
he could use the vulnerability to temporarily disconnect an iPhone
from the network, but did not give a detailed description of the
attack method.
He has agreed with Apple to keep the details under wraps until
the Black Hat security conference in Las Vegas on 25-30 July.