![]() ![]() He calls himself an Apple “fanboy,” and describes Android’s more open platform as “the enemy.” “I guess it’s just about the challenge, more than anything else,” he says. Nor does he criticize Apple for wanting to control what users can install on their devices. He compares Allegra’s skills to the state-sponsored intruders that plague corporations and governments, what the cybersecurity industry calls "advanced-persistent threat" hackers: “He’s probably five years ahead of them,” says Dai Zovi.Īllegra isn’t after profit: his site is free, though it does accept donations. government to infect Iran’s nuclear facilities. ![]() “I spent a lot of time on the polish,” Allegra says with a hint of pride.ĭino Dai Zovi, co-author of the Mac Hacker’s Handbook, says JailbreakMe’s sophistication is on par with that of Stuxnet, a worm thought to have been designed by the Israeli or U.S. That critical flaw allowed a series of exploits that not only gains total control of the machine but leaves behind code that jailbreaks it again every time the device reboots -all without ever even crashing the operating system. In JailbreakMe 3, Allegra used a bug in how Apple’s mobile operating system iOS handles PDFs fonts that allows him to both locate and repurpose hidden commands. Yet Allegra has managed to find a path around those locks. That’s like requiring an attacker to assemble a note out of a random magazine he’s never read before, in the dark. So even after an attacker finds a security bug that gives him access to the system, he can only exploit it by reusing commands that are already in Apple’s software, a process security researcher Dino Dai Zovi has compared to writing a ransom note out of magazine clippings.Īfter Allegra released JailbreakMe 2 last year, Apple upped its game another notch, randomizing the location of code in memory so that hackers can’t even locate commands to hijack them. To appreciate JailbreakMe’s brilliance, consider how tightly Steve Jobs locks down his devices: Since 2008, Apple has implemented a safeguard called “code-signing” to prevent hackers from running any of their own commands on its mobile operating system. "Now it’s been done by some kid we had never even heard of. "I didn't think anyone would be able to do what he's done for years," says Charlie Miller, a former network exploitation analyst for the National Security Agency who first hacked the iPhone in 2007. Allegra has become such a thorn in Apple’s side that its stores now block on in-store wifi networks. Nonetheless, 1.4 million people used the tool to jailbreak their gadgets in that time, and more than 600,000 more since then. When he released JailbreakMe 3 in July, the company rushed to patch the security opening in just nine days. But jailbreaking, as the practice is called, violates Apple’s obsessive control of its gadgets and demonstrates software holes that could be exploited later by less benevolent hackers.Īpple didn’t respond to requests for comment, but it’s not thrilled about Allegra’s work. Whether you want to get your hands dirty with low-level system tweaks or just make Chrome and Gmail your default web browser and email apps, jailbreaing gives you complete access to the underlying system and gives you the power to do these things.The tool isn’t intended for theft or vandalism: It merely lets users install any application they want on their devices. People jailbreak because they want to do more with their devices than Apple allows them to. ![]() Performing other system-level tweaks like changing themes, adding widgets, or enabling Wi-Fi tethering against your carrier’s wishes also requires jailbreaking. You also don’t have the low-level access to customize the iOS operating system in other ways, doing a wide variety of things that Apple wouldn’t approve of. You also can’t install apps from outside Apple’s App Store, which means you’re out of luck if you want to use an app Apple doesn’t approve of. For example, you can’t change your default email app or web browser. RELATED: What's the Difference Between Jailbreaking, Rooting, and Unlocking? Why People JailbreakĪn iPhone or iPad’s locked-down nature means you can only do what Apple allows you to do with it. Thanks to the US DMCA, jailbreaking an iPhone is completely legal, while jailbreaking an iPad appears to be a felony. ![]()
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