iPhone 4 jailbreak banks on browser exploit

Hackers have developed a browser-based tool able to jailbreak Apple's iPhone 4. The tool, published on Sunday and available via JailbreakMe.com was developed by the iPhone Dev Team. It allows users of the smartphone to run apps other than those approved by Apple. Unlike previous jailbreaking utilities, the latest application …

[Anonymous Coward]

Lets all visit an Apple shop!!!

I'm sure all that display stock is just screaming out to be freed!!

Skeletor will not be happy!!

[Gareth 14]

Jailbroken Apple store stock - Already Done

Before the flames roll in, why test on my iPhone4? eh.

Besides said Apples iPeeps have a lot more to demo now :)

Go on spread the love

[Confuciousmobil]

Comex - not Dev Team

The JailBreak was developed by Comex with help from the Dev Team, posixninja and others. It was not developed by the Dev Team.

It is the beta of iOS4.1 it doesn't work with but the FaceTime and MMS issues have been fixed.

It Jailbreaks all devices on iOS4.01 (I believe the problems with the iPad on 3.21 have also been fixed) but iPhones need to be activated first.

The unlock - which has been developed by the Dev Team will be released provided testing goes well over the next 48 hours.

[Uk_Gadget]

HAHAHAHA

'Apple responded to the ruling by warning that jailbreaking its device will void any warranty protection'

HOHO, doesn't turning it on void the warrenty...HEHE.. Apple warrenties are not worth the paper they are written on...

[Anonymous Coward]

Warranty

Actually, I think you'll find that Apple warranties are very good. For example, an old iPhone 3G developed some cracks on the back near one of the switches. Took it to the Genius Bar in the Apple store where they looked at it and then replaced it straight away without any problems. That was when the phone was 10 months old. And no need to provide proof of purchase (it wasn't even bought from an Apple store).

But I suppose you are quite correct that the _warrenties_ aren't worth anything. But then I don't know anywhere that honours warrenties whether they are written on paper or not.

[Anonymous Coward]

#Warranty

#Actually, I think you'll find that Apple warranties are very good.

Several current class action suits suggest otherwise. Apple's love for their customers ends the second after they applaud you out the front door....and doesn't return until you join the queue for the next iFad.

[Anonymous Coward]

MMS & facetime

the issue has been fixed now,

if you havent jailbroken yet, when you do, mms and facetime will be fine.

if you have already jailbroken and have lost mms & facetime, just run cydia, it will auto update, then reboot your phone and it will be fixed.

[Anonymous Coward]

It was due to a permission problem apparently..

..it's good that you can fix a root filesystem permissions problem by visiting a web page, i'm sure it makes many people sleep soundly.

Seriously, there is a security hole of epic proportions in Safari's native PDF handler. Shockingly not Adobes version but Apples own (pretty ironic). Yet for some reason the media is all over the fact that its a way to jailbreak your phone easily.

Anyway this is another software hack rather than a bootrom exploit so it will be patched out pretty rapidly. Nobody has managed a bootrom exploit since some time last year, meaning another one is increasingly unlikely.

Plus with an exploit this dangerous I can't see many people hanging on to 4.01 once the patch to plug it comes out, which will also plug the jailbreak.

[Real Name]

Facetime & MMS Fixed

This was fixed quickly in an update. ALl new jailbreakers should work.

[Thomas 18]

yay, one more example

That platform security under apple is no different to microsoft.

[Anonymous Coward]

Steve Jobs Dentist

Just hangs in Safari on a 3GS running iOS 4

[Mick F]

Everything...

..just hangs on a 3GS running iOS 4

[krakead]

@Mick F

Try restarting your phone first. My 3GS kept hanging when I tried the jailbreak. Once I'd rebooted it worked straight away.

[Mick F]

Try restarting

Even better! we sold it. Somebody was mug enough.

[The Infamous Grouse]

Make sure iBooks is installed and keep trying

My 3rd generation iOS4 iPod touch crashed Safari many, many times before it succeeded. The server is very busy, as is the mirror at ModMyi. You just have to keep plugging away until you get a connection.

And the jailbreak relies on a vulnerability with PDF rendering in iBooks, not Safari as the article's author assumed, so if you don't have iBooks installed all you'll ever get are browser hangs.

[OutOfSpace]

Steve Jobs Dentist

It's off now, must have been server load :)

[uhuznaa]

Scary

Nobody seems to notice that, but: What this Jailbreak means is that there is a remote root exploit in Mobile Safari. It's nice to jailbreak your iPhone/iPad this way but this also means that basically any website can take over your device and run any code on it. This is scary. When iOS 4.1 comes out you'll have to decide if you want to keep your jailbreak or to have your device secured against this remote exploit.

[DrXym]

A very scary thought

If one site remotely exploits for "good", then the next one can remotely exploit to completely screw your device, install a trojan or whatnot.

On the amusing side, I wonder if Apple stores will suddenly notice a lot of their display models suddenly and mysteriously become jail broken. I hope they have a firewall or a DNS server to redirect requests to the jailbreak sites.

[Nigel Brown]

I'm sooooo tempted..

....but being an orthodox coward I'll probably not do it.

[justkyle]

iPhone 4 Antenna problems?

I call badgers or troll with "known iPhone 4 antenna issues."

Other than that, an interesting read, especially the comments section.

[Anonymous Coward]

What?!

Get some treatment, whatever you're on is not working.

[Paul Eagles]

iBooks...

.. isn't installed on my 3GS and the Jailbreak ran first time without any problems.

[3G]

great

I'll wait for the carrier unlock then !

[Cameron Colley]

Why jailbreak?

Seems to me that jail breaking means you don't agree with Apple's philosophy but are willing to pay them to continue it. You are paying over the odds for something locked down only to invalidate the warranty and practically defeat the original intent of it. Why do you do it? Don't you find it hypocritical?

[ed2020]

@Cameron Colley

It doesn't mean anything of the kind. It means you're happy to pay Apple to own some of their hardware but don't want to be tied into using only software that gains their approval. If others are happy to accept the software restrictions it's up to them. There's nothing hypocritical about it at all.

[Anonymous Coward]

How severe is this bug?

Is the bug they exploit severe enough that it could be used to attack the phones instead of jailbreaking them?

[Tinal]

Exploit? Or Business Opritunity.

Excuse me while I go tell my coworkers with iPhones "Yes, I can jailbreak your iPhone for you, and it'll be ready by lunch! That'll be $50."