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iBooks 1.2.1 Detects Some Jailbreaks, Disables iBookstore Purchases in Response

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Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
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121133-ibooks_jailbreak_error.jpg


Social Apples details a change employed in an update to Apple's iBooks application released last week that detects whether a device has been jailbroken using one of several tools, and if the device has been found to be jailbroken, refuses to open content purchased from Apple's iBookstore.
Since using the greenpois0n jailbreak, I have been unable to open some of my iBooks that I rightfully purchased from the iBook Store. I thought it was a problem with the downloaded books, so I re-downloaded them. That didn’t work so I removed the iBooks from my iPhone and re-sync’d them from my computer... still no luck. Then I stumbled on a tweet from @comex tonight that really blew my mind.
Click to expand...
According to noted jailbreak author @comex, whenever a user attempts to open an eBook purchased from the iBookstore and containing digital rights management code, the new iBooks tries to run unsigned or improperly signed binaries as a test to see if the device is jailbroken. If those binaries run successfully, the device is flagged as having been jailbroken and the eBook refuses to open.

Users of devices jailbroken by one of the methods that allows Apple's test binaries to successfully run who attempt to open content purchased from the iBookstore are met with the following error message:
There is a problem with the configuration of your iPhone. Please restore with iTunes and reinstall iBooks.
Click to expand...
Restoring a device from iTunes obviously removes the jailbreak, again rendering the device in compliance with Apple's standards.

Apple's tactics are of course drawing some scrutiny from jailbreak fans, many of whom are pointing to recent actions by the U.S. government to explicitly allow jailbreaking. Consequently, Apple's move to prevent access to legitimately purchased iBookstore content just because the user attempts to view it on a jailbroken device is seen as interference with legal usage.

Article Link: iBooks 1.2.1 Detects Some Jailbreaks, Disables iBookstore Purchases in Response
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2011/02/15/ibooks-1-2-1-detects-some-jailbreaks-disables-ibookstore-purchases-in-response/
O

osx11

macrumors 6502a
Jan 16, 2011
825
0
It was only a matter of time.

I'm sure Apple is well aware of all the hacks.
 
P

pmz

macrumors 68000
Nov 18, 2009
1,949
0
NJ
Awesome, so now the iBookstore that I've never used and will never use, has just made itself unavailable. (haven't checked this on my 4.1, quality jailbreak, though)

Never wanted to buy a book from Apple anyway.
 
aristotle

aristotle

macrumors 68000
Mar 13, 2007
1,768
5
Canada
Legal usage? Since when is any company under any obligation for everything to work when you hack a device? If you choose to jailbreak, things might break.

These people have to realize that every choice can carry with it trade offs. If you want to jailbreak, go ahead but don't expect Apple to make it easy for you.

While not everyone who jailbreaks is a pirate, there is rampant piracy in the jailbreaking community so I don't expect Apple to be forced to do anything to help jailbreakers.
 
T

thompson11

macrumors member
Oct 12, 2009
59
0
The Copyright Office's determination that jailbreaking ≠ violation of the DMCA is in no way related to this issue... nothing said that Apple has to let you jailbreak without consequence, just that they can't sue you for DMCA violation for doing so.
 
Z

zin

macrumors 6502
May 5, 2010
491
6,617
United Kingdom
So, all-mighty legal people, can Apple do this without suffering lots of whining court cases? I mean, from my perspective, it's their application and store, so I find it hard to believe that, under U.S Law, it's illegal.

Surely they can reject access whenever they wish if it's mentioned in their end user license agreement (and such agreement is violated by the consumer)?
 
P

powerphillg5

macrumors newbie
Mar 27, 2009
26
0
zin said:
So, all-mighty legal people, can Apple do this without suffering lots of whining court cases? I mean, from my perspective, it's their application and store, so I find it hard to believe that, under U.S Law, it's illegal.

Surely they can reject access whenever they wish if it's mentioned in their end user license agreement (and such agreement is violated by the consumer)?
Click to expand...

I think they can if it's in the license agreement. I mean you can pretty much sign your rights away in any type of contract... just ask some Marines.
 
Gen

Gen

macrumors 6502a
Jul 15, 2008
901
99
Stupid thing to do.
I'm allowed to jailbreak my device - yet, Apple thinks that I'm not.

This is not going to stop people from jailbreaking, it's only going to stop people from using iBooks.

Doesn't matter to me though, since I use the Kindle app - automatic syncing between all devices, and a way bigger catalog > iBook Store
 
rwilliams

rwilliams

macrumors 68040
Apr 8, 2009
3,745
1,010
Raleigh, NC
I said this in another thread - it's really s****y of Apple to allow you to purchase iBooks content on your jailbroken device and then block you from using it. If they're going to take this approach to dealing with jailbroken devices, then the right thing to do is to disable you from being able to buy their books in the first place. Otherwise, they're taking your money and then denying you access to content that you legally purchased, and that is extremely low of Apple.
 
X

xxundrclssherox

macrumors newbie
Feb 11, 2009
20
23
Hello Kindle

Looks like I'll stick to the Kindle App for reading then, at least while Apple allows it on their app store
Does anybody actually use iBooks? It's more expensive than Amazon and B&N so why waste money?
R.I.P iBooks
 
Small White Car

Small White Car

macrumors G4
Aug 29, 2006
10,966
1,463
Washington DC
Idle curiousity...

Is there any way a jailbroken phone can be used to remove the DRM from the iBooks?

If so, Apple will be able to defend this move in court. They can point to that and say "we had to do this to protect the DRM."

If not then they're just being stupid.

I dunno if that's possible, but I'm wondering now.
 
L

Laird Knox

macrumors 68000
Jun 18, 2010
1,956
1,343
the new iBooks tries to run unsigned or improperly signed binaries as a test to see if the device is jailbroken. If those binaries run successfully, the device is flagged as having been jailbroken and the eBook refuses to open.
Click to expand...

It sounds like they are checking to see if the DRM is functional. The app stops working if it isn't. I can't say I'm a fan of DRM but this really doesn't sound like a case of "stop the jailbreakers."

Of course this will get dround out by the chorus of "ebil Apple" that is going to spew forth.
 
Night Spring

Night Spring

macrumors G5
Jul 17, 2008
14,613
7,791
Surely Apple can't deny people use of their legally purchased content without suffering legal consequences? If they aren't going to allow people to access their properly purchased iBooks on JB devices, they need to be upfront about this policy, and also refund any purchases made before this change in policy. Otherwise, I smell a class action suit coming on.

Small White Car said:
Is there any way a jailbroken phone can be used to remove the DRM from the iBooks?
Click to expand...

There's no way to remove DRM from iBooks that I'm aware of. I'm sure being jailbroken could facilitate any de-DRM process hackers might come up with, but Apple still hasn't done anything to prevent cracked apps from being installed or runing on JB devices, and that is a problem that has existed almost as long as there has been an App Store. That they would go after people with legitimately purchased iBooks while leaving cracked apps to run rampant just doesn't make sense...
 
spazzcat

spazzcat

macrumors 68040
Jun 29, 2007
3,673
4,771
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_2_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/533.17.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/5.0.2 Mobile/8C148 Safari/6533.18.5)

So when does the hack come out to fix this....
 
I

irun5k

macrumors 6502
Jan 14, 2005
379
0
I installed Linux on my Macbook and now iTunes no longer runs and I don't have access to the content that I legally acquired from the iTunes Store.

I'm thinking about a class action lawsuit- who is with me???
 
j-a-x

j-a-x

macrumors 68000
Apr 15, 2005
1,562
284
Houston, Texas
Is this something that can easily be fixed by the makers of greenpois0n? I personally don't read iBooks on my iPhone, I read them on my iPad and I only jailbreak my iPhone (for PDANet) not my iPad so this probably won't affect me.
 
R

r-m

macrumors 6502a
May 7, 2010
597
46
I don't think this is new just to Greenpois0n. I've had this error on the beta versions of redsn0w's monte jailbreak. That was also using whatever version of iBooks that was out at the time (beginning of January'ish?). I deleted iBooks, haven't used it since, so haven't even seen this latest update...
 
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