I think it's worth reading and discussing: please don't jailbreak your iPhone, a PCMag blogger wrote. According to blogger Larry Seltzer, there are serious security implications behind the jailbroken iPhone. [Apple has recently publicly saying that "jailbreaking" an iPhone is breaking the law and voiding the warranty.]
Once you jailbreak your iPhone is outside of all of Apple's content and security controls. Miller says, for example, that the Cydia app installer runs as root on the iPhone. Apps that run on a jailbroken iPhone can run as root and do whatever they please, and are outside the iPhone app sandbox as well. This means that nothing prevents you from installing malware on a jailbroken iPhone and that malware could do all manner of evil things, probably including making phone calls.
Be in no doubt that such malware for the iPhone is possible and probably inevitable. 3rd party stores will have to have their own quality controls, but apps could be distributed other ways. For example, by spamming: "Click here on your iPhone for cool new free app!". It works all the time on the PC, why not on the iPhone?
What do you think?
[via PCMag.com blogs]
Well, chime in 5 points for Mr. Obvious. Unfortunately, there’s no replacement for a rare ingredient of life: COMMON SENSE. So, if you’ve been known to fall for scams, it would probably be a good idea to skip jailbreaking. At least until they develop a pill for your affliction.
I’ve jailbroken multiple times, had a lot of very positive experiences and enjoying “full” ownership of my iPhone without any security issues for the last year. Can’t speak for anyone else but just stating a fact for myself.
That Blogpost must be Apple sponsored. I’ve also jailbroken multiple times, as have thousands of others without issue. I wouldn’t keep a stock iPhone. Jailbreaking being unsafe is such a big misconception.
There are some fallacies in this report. First, jailbreaking allows one to change the root password, which has become public knowledge, allowing for a higher degree of protection from net attacks. Second, an implied comparison is made that average PC users (those who might click through on a scam message) are equal to jailbreakers. My experience suggests that those who jailbreak are MORE technically inclined and MORE aware of scams, viruses, etc. Last, malware is certainly possible whether one jailbreaks or not – the last fallacy is the implication that Apple is vetting every app (at a source level) for evil code. I don’t believe it.
I’m with the others who commented. After jailbreaking every OS version since the first, I’ve yet to have an issue caused by bad intentions. I’m not foolish enough to believe that the past is a reliable predictor of the future, but I’ve yet to be convinced that by NOT jailbreaking I’m better protected.
As I have said elsewhere: the logic that jailbreaking your iPhone is somehow dangerous or opens your phone up to some mysterious evil is the same sort of logic that says “Installing Firefox will open your computer up to [insert threat here]!!!”
There is, in practice, absolutely no difference between some anonymous Apple employee vetting a program (which, in reality, seems to be ensuring that it vaguely appears to do what it claims + making sure it doesn’t instantly crash) …vs… some anonymous list maintainer doing more or less the same stuff.
Every “jailbreaking is naughty and dangerous” nay-sayer can keep playing in their sandbox with their approved toys. The rest of us want to fire up the ol’ JCB earth mover and get some work done.
I was never aware of it! thanx for sharing :)
What is the deal with some of these retarded blogs. There is no danger in jailbreaking their phones. You own the phone, you can do what you want with the phone. It only voids your warranty if you send in a jailbroken phone. All you have to do is restore it in i tunes and you’re good to go. Having freedom with what i own makes my phone one of my favorite gadgets. I have jailbroken my phone and multiple friends and nobody has had a negative experience. Don’t believe stupid blogs from people that blog simply to blog. If anything should be illegal it should be what apple is doing. From fart apps to trying it’s best to create a monopoly. Boo to apple and the writer of this post.
“[Apple has recently publicly saying that "jailbreaking" an iPhone is breaking the law and voiding the warranty.]”
They wish! Although this has not to my knowledge been tested in a court of law I suggest this is arrant nonsense. Could you imagine a PC having a warranty voided because you installed Linux instead of XP for instance. Warranty legislation has been tested in this country many times and whatever the manufacturer says if the thing is busted is has to be fixed. In fact there is a common misconception that there is a restriction on the time of coverage. This is not true. Is a device is faulty due to a defect, regardless of its age, the manufacturer’s warranty still holds unless the user voided his rights by signing a warranty agreement.
As for exposing the OS to an application running as root, this happens all the time under other operating systems so why should the iPhone be somehow different? It is Free BSD whichever way it is packaged.
And as far as breaking the law – how so? Not sure where they get off with this rubbish but even if the law was so asinine it would vary between jurisdictions. However I cannot see how installing software on your own device is in any way illegal.
Getting back to this warranty nonsense – if the phone is dead how would they know? If it is not dead re-flash with the non-JB FW.
I can not beleive they even wrote an article about this! they make it sound like you will get struck by lightning if you jailbreak. It’s more clearly dangerous if you drive drunk.
I have to agree with Rey, Geode and nerdkill, other post not so much. Whom ever wrote this blog probably works for Apple, its been said by AT&T from the beginning that modifying the OS would void the warranty, Apple just realized that their cool (malicious) plan to let developers make apps has turn on them, e.i.: cycorder: JAILBROKEN FREE APP that lets you video record, like this example there is many more that Apple had in mind since day one but don’t want to offer them yet because they want to charge for them a lot by selling them in their app store, another example iBluetooth, it seems that would let Jailbroken iPhones to exchange files via bluetooth, once again, Apple would like to sell that puppy. That is why many slapped on the face (by Apple) developers turn around and got to 3rd party Repositories.
I have Jailbroken my iphone many times, with several firmwares, and I hadn’t have a problem, if you jailbreak your phone you can tell from scam and malicious software, and i think people that own an jailbroken iphone are not going to waste their time making “malicious software”. Make phone calls? WTF!? Is that guy high?
Over 1.2 million have jailbroken their phones, that must tell you something, probably that blogger is the one that sends their bank account information to a Nigerian-like email. I have read some stupid blogs on that pcmag website such as this one, I think they just let average users post blogs there. For example: one guy and I dont have his name, nor want to look for it, posted a blog saying that pretty much he was p-off with new tall buildings and new wireless routers because he could see as many open wireless networks in his neighborhood. WTF? People is become more aware and more secure.
Jailbraking your iphone is safe and not illegal. Is just Jobs being PO that he can not charge for the coolest apps as he was planning.
I think the part apple refers to as illegal is modifying their software. As far as jailbreaking being dangerous I would agree that it is more of a common sense issue. If you do not have common sense, you could end up with something on your iphone. Essentially stupid people should not even have an iphone let alone jailbreak it. Anyone with enough common sense can handle having a jailbroken phone without having anything happen to the phone. If a program looks suspicious, don’t install it. Just like on your computer. Its not that hard.
…Oh no i can just restore if i need to. The iphone is useless unless jailbroken. Its the only real way to experience the iphone, unless you like your pg-13 filtered content with to many restrictions put on developers to count. i bought the phone i should be able to do what i want with it..i think apple is going to find much resistance to this bull.
so its illegal for me to put software on MY phone what I want lol i dont think so, its my phone i do what i want with it. This apple trying to scare people as they are losing money in the app world.
JAil breaking will destroy your phone DONT DO. It
Jail breaking is scary.
Jail breaking gives me a boner. A big fat one <——–:
Guys I have updated and jail broken my Iphone to 3.0 now the big question can I upgrade to 3.1 beta without problems or do I have to jail break it again if I update.. would be great if you could be as accurate as possible my is 2G 8GB Iphone cheers
Why Jailbreak your iphone? Because you can. Just did last night. What fun it is. I think Apple had to know this would happen. Why else would Itunes have a method to backup and restore it. All about the bucks like always. Power to the people. We pay for the service and these fancy gadgets. Steve Jobs and Bill Gates are gay lovers. lol.