Turns out that if you jailbreak your iPhone you remove most of the Apple’s security protections — 80% to be exact — and are vulnerable to attacks. At least according to Charlie Miller:
“If you care about security, don’t use a jailbroken iPhone,”
Miller, speaking at SyScan in Singapore, believes that by jailbreaking you open your device some major risks. The operating system on an iPhone is basically a watered down version of Mac OS X. For those of you who are unfamiliar with Macs, Mac OS X is the latest OS that Apple computers run. Macs are generally known for pretty risk-free machines with a few exceptions. Those exceptions being Java, Adobe Flash, and PDF files. The major risk on the iPhone is opening your device up to any application available on Cydia/Icy. iPhones will generally only run applications that are digitally signed by Apple, this is not the case when jailbroken. So if you don’t know what you are installing, there is a possibility you can be in for a world of hurt.
Of course just a few hours ago Rene told you about the huge vulnerability within the iPhone’s SMS application that Charlie found, so nothing is completely safe.
Does this scare you away from jailbreaking your iPhone? Perhaps you are thinking about doing a restore and going legit from now on? Let us know if this warning from Charlie sways you to avoid the jailbreaking life!
[Via Macworld]
Daring Fireball’s John Gruber posted the following last night:
A decade ago, my first PowerBook was a secondary machine to the desktop anchored at my desk. Now, my main machine is my MacBook Pro, but it feels a bit like an anchor now. My mobile secondary computer is my iPhone
A couple of friends of mine who work in IT administration have been telling me the same thing since the iPhone 3G launched. One of them recently left his laptop behind and took only an iPhone with him on a motorcycle trip and conference, and was still able to keep on top of his servers.
While the sheer volume of writing and editing demanded by TiPb still keeps me chained to a laptop, I’ll also admit to leaving the MacBook behind and running out with only my iPhone whenever I can — and yes, I’ve been likewise amazed at not only how much I can now accomplish with a mobile computing device, but how easily I can accomplish it.
Have you been using your iPhone as a laptop replacement? How does it fit your work needs, and what have your results been so far?
Some of you on the TiPb Forums have shown some concern over Nelson and the iPhone 3GS tour video. Our question is — what ever happened to iPhone Bob?
Bob Borchers, if you weren’t familiar with the name, starred in the original iPhone and iPhone 3G tour videos on the Apple website.
Well it pains me to say this but according to the WSJ Bob has left Apple to join venture-capital firm, Opus Capital.
Bob, a former executive at Nokia, Nike, and Apple (since 2004, working on the iPod and iPhone) said he enjoyed his time with Apple but the venture capitalists at Opus have given him an opportunity he simply could not pass up.
TiPb and many of your fans will miss you greatly! (It’s really a shame you can’t take Nelson with you…)
Good luck Bob!
Disclaimer - Neither TiPb nor I take any responsibility for any problems/issues/bricking/etc. that may occur while using this software to modify your iPhone. Please be aware of what you are doing. This will NOT work with iPhone 3GS.
There has been a lot of buzz going on in the forums regarding jailbreaking the iPhone 3.0 software lately, and a lot of questions to go along with it!. Today we’re going to take a deeper look at the exact steps you have to take to get your iPhone 3G with the 3.0 software, jailbroken on your Windows PC machine.
Let’s get started, after the jump!
Read the rest of this entry »
Not long ago TiPb reported AT&T forcing every iPhone user who is not using a iPhone data plan onto the correct plan and possibly hitting you with extra charges. Now it seems AT&T is finally making good on that promise as Erica Sudan, over at TUAW, is now reporting AT&T is planning on dumping iPhone GoPhone accounts. TiPb thinks this is AT&T finally flipping the switch on iPhone users subscribed to non-iPhone data plans and GoPhone accounts are also falling victims in all of this. The following text message is being sent to various AT&T customers:
AT&T Free MSG: A new software upgrade for iPhone will be available on 6/17. This upgrade may affect your data service. Please visit att.com/iphone or call 800-901-9878 for a representative. If you download the software and are not on an approved iPhone data plan, your data service will be interrupted.
So AT&T is using the 3.0 software as it’s excuse to flip the switch, but exactly how would they know what software you currently are on? The only way would be if iTunes reported back to Apple and then they give the information to AT&T. That scenario is highly unlikely.
Anyone not on a iPhone data plan and using an iPhone get this text message yet? Be warned fellow GoPhone and non-iPhone data plan users…
Tomorrow is the start of WWDC and there are some people out there who truly believe Apple will official release the iPhone OS 3.0 software very soon. Whether or not it is released this week or within the next month, don’t be so quick to pull the trigger on the upgrade button within iTunes if you are planning on unlocking your device. If you choose to update there is a high possibility that you will lose your option to unlock in the future. Don’t want to listen to us, ok, will you take the Dev-Teams word for it?
you all paid lots of money for your iPhones, and so we know that if you are depending on a software unlock, this is a sensitive issue. It’s a very sensitive issue to us too, which is why we can’t say or release anything prematurely that could potentially compromise any 3.0 software unlock.
In other words, don’t do anything until the Dev-Team releases any official unlock for the 3.0 software. Also something to keep in mind, which we’ve warned you about in the past, don’t be fooled these fake wanna be Dev-Team websites that are out there.
We’re used to (though still aren’t happy about) less predatory websites, like quickpwn.com. That site (1) is not us. We don’t consult with them in any way (2) makes money from their Google hits (they’re usually near the top) (3) sometimes gives very very bad advice (like tweeting yellowsn0w users to use QuickPwn on 3.0 betas. Bad suggestion). (4) also owns yellowsn0w.net, another money making website.
For more information, be sure to check out the official Dev-Team blog. So there you have it folks, be careful out there.
All signs are pointing to some new iPhone hardware come this Monday at WWDC. Even if the upgrades are all internal and minor such as memory, CPU, and storage bumps - the iPhone is poised to stay on the top of the hill regardless of what Palm, RIM, or HTC may bring to the table.
In a article posted on Wired.com, Roger Entner, an analyst at Nielsen Mobile had the following to say:
“I think the Pre holds up very well compared to the current second-generation iPhone 3G. But the third-gen iPhone will most likely up the ante again…. If you only follow Apple, you will never catch up.”
Whether you like it or not, Apple has a firm hold in the consumer market. Back in July 2007, Apple introduced us to iPhone, that forever changed the smartphone market. In July 2008, Apple launched the App Store and once again altered the mobile landscape. Since then, many companies have tried to follow in Apple’s footsteps, only to fail.
We are curious to see what you, our readers, think about Apple’s competition. Can Apple be overthrown by the likes of RIM, Palm, or HTC? Or does Apple hold a death grip on the rest of the industry? It seems they can do no wrong no matter how small or large they update the iPhones hardware. With WWDC — and a next generation iPhone — only days away, is there anything Apple could do to seriously disappoint?
Today Apple officially released the latest version of iTunes (8.2). Anyone who is familiar with jailbreaking should be well aware that now is a time to wonder, will the cat and mouse game continue? It seems like it has but @MuscleNerd claims it is unintentional on Apple’s part.
Today’s iTunes 8.2 update changes the way your computer talks to the device. This affects things like QuickPwn and PwnageTool when they try to identify what’s connected. Also, ssh over usb breaks due to same reasons. Fixes are in the works but for now avoid 8.2
So if you are planning on jailbreaking anytime in the near future, be sure to avoid this latest version of iTunes until the fix is made available to the public.
Stay tuned as TiPb will bring you the latest updates as they become available.
It’s time again for another From the Forums post, today we have a few good poll threads for our forum members to participate in. Not a member you say? Well all you have to do is register right here for free! After you take a care of that, check out the following threads!
Another image, floating around the internet this past week, shows the iPhone 3G plastic back casing next to the rumored 3rd generation’s matte casing . So this thread is pretty basic, Matte or Shine? So far the matte finish has a comfortable lead in the poll. What’s your vote?
Today’s second thread contains a couple images of the rumored next generation iPhone’s auto-focus camera, compass, etc… in action. Again this thread contains a poll - are the images fake or are they legitimate? You be the judge!
Next up we asked the question that pretty much all Apple fans have been asking, will Steve Jobs be attending WWDC in any way, shape, or form? As long Mr. Jobs is healthy and feeling up to it, TiPb sure hopes to see him make an appearance. What are your thoughts?
For our last poll of the day Rene asks who wants a glowing Apple logo on the next generation iPhone?! We are thinking this one will be split pretty much 50/50. At first I was against the thought of this but have since changed my mind. If used properly it could come in handy. What do you think?
See you on the forums!
It’s that time again — time for us to pick out some of the hot topics on TiPb’s forums. In order for you to reply to any of the following threads please be sure to register. It’s a painless process, we promise!
Today’s first thread is from forum member Ghecko. There is no arguing that, if you’re coming from a physical keyboard on your old BlackBerry or Windows Mobile device, the touch screen on the iPhone can be a bit tricky for some and chances are you will end up with a lot of typos in your SMS messages and emails. With that being said, what are your most common typos you make on your iPhone? If you are indeed having a hard time adjusting to the touch screen - stick with it. You’ll be a pro in no time!
This next thread is a question that I actually hear quite a bit when new software or firmware is released for devices - Tramain wants to know will you update to iPhone OS 3.0 as soon as it is released or will you wait to see how it goes for others? Personally, as soon as new software is available to me, I will not hesitate to update but I can understand how some people may want to wait a few days to see if any users are running into any major errors. So waiting is not always a bad idea. Thoughts?
Next up we have a thread started by none other than our very own beloved editor, Rene, and he wants to know your thoughts about MobileMe 2.0 at WWDC. Will we see Phil Schiller drop some awesome new MobileMe features during the keynote? Only time will really tell but we all can dream can’t we?
Our last thread of the day is simple - tell us your worst customer service experience you’ve had with Apple, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc… Almost every single one of us has had our fair share of horrible customer service experiences, let us know about them!
See you on the forums!
