Jailbreaking iPhones is a practice that has been around since the earliest versions of the Apple smart phone. While not officially allowed by Apple, it is something that is pretty common among users of the device, as it allows users to download content that is otherwise not sanctioned by Apple’s iTunes store or for using paid apps without having to pay the cost.
Both a tool for homebrew development and software piracy, the act of jailbreaking is often looked down upon by those who stick with the iTunes store offerings and of course, by developers who lose income due to their apps being downloaded for free. While Apple’s operating system already has security features in place to deter hackers, those who develop jailbreak software have shown grit and tenacity in their quest to break into Apple’s tough outer shell.
With the iPhone, that shell was cracked pretty early, with the jailbreak software officially confirmed working within the first week of launch and spreading across the internet by the second week.
However, the success of the jailbreak software is a double edged sword for many: it exposes a major vulnerability in the iOS 4. This vulnerability is being used by the jailbreak software to access the OS, but at the same time, other malicious content could do the same.
Apple is now encouraging users to update to version 4.0.2 of the iOS in order to remove the security issue. Of course, this latest version of the OS is also immune to the jailbreak software as well. This is because the same PDF issue that the jailbreak software uses is no longer present.
It will definitely be a while before the next form of the jailbreaking software gets released. In the meanwhile, Apple, and many developers, can celebrate the major step towards pushing out those who download paid content for free.
Tags: Apple, Apple-iOS-4, Apple-iPhone, Apple-iPhone-4, apple-itunes, Apps, jailbreaking