Apple hiring security manager to fight Iphone jailbreaking

[Iphone3gs]

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technol...5875-21798021/


Apple hiring security manager to fight iPhone jailbreaking


It had been rumoured that the latest batch of iPhone 3GS handsets off the production were jailbreak proof but it seems not. Apple is now advertising for a security manager to fight jailbreaking while hackers have just announced a new method. Read on for more on the war…

If you’ve got a jailbroken iPhone but have been holding back from the iPhone OS 3.1.2 update, two new jailbreaking solutions have arrived blackrain and blacksn0w. But your jailbreaking ways could soon be at an end.

Apple is currently looking for a manager to lead a new team dedicated to boosting the iPhone’s security and shutting down jailbreaks.

Security exploits are what make the iPhone jailbreaking possible and Apple’s looking to shut those holes in the OS down. It is looking to hire an iPhone OS Platform Security Manager to focus “on the platform security of iPhone OS.”

please comment

[pvmacguy]

Guess apple needs some RIM security lovin.

[dread]

Why don't they just pay geohot off. Problem solved.

[QuarterSwede]

I don't see how it would really help. The hacker community will figure out a way to get in every time.

[phobic99]

Ha I'm still on 3.0.1. Honestly though, I don't think I could use the iPhone anymore if there was literally no way to jailbreak it at all. Luckily, the competition is finally stepping up with some decent hardware.

Then again, I agree with what dread said by just hiring geohot/the dev team.

[t0mat0]

Seeing as the jailbreaks presumably involve security breaches of the iPhone, doesn't seem too hard to see it as only one area for somone looking at general security. Seeing as they're looking to bring it into enterprise as well as consumer areas, it makes sense for them to keep strengthening its security.

[Small White Car]

Originally Posted by t0mat0

Seeing as the jailbreaks presumably involve security breaches of the iPhone, doesn't seem too hard to see it as only one area for somone looking at general security. Seeing as they're looking to bring it into enterprise as well as consumer areas, it makes sense for them to keep strengthening its security.

Right. Everyone thinks Apple is against Jailbreaking but it's really more likely that they just want to plug security holes.

The fact that those holes help jailbreakers means that they're hurting jailbreakers, but that doesn't mean that's Apple's actual goal. It's just a side-effect.

[Cask]

Originally Posted by Small White Car

Right. Everyone thinks Apple is against Jailbreaking but it's really more likely that they just want to plug security holes.

The fact that those holes help jailbreakers means that they're hurting jailbreakers, but that doesn't mean that's Apple's actual goal. It's just a side-effect.

Obviously their main goal is jailbreaking...it is not like too many security goals not jailbreak related have been discovered.

[mkrishnan]

Originally Posted by Small White Car

Right. Everyone thinks Apple is against Jailbreaking but it's really more likely that they just want to plug security holes.

If you think about it, the jailbreakers -- Dev Team, Geohot, etc -- do Apple a huge favor. They keep identifying exploits in the iPhone OS in a relatively benign way -- that is, without launching any kind of malware that makes use of them.

I do wonder if Apple wouldn't be pushing back so actively, though, if pirating apps via jailbreak were not so rampant....

[TSX]

Originally Posted by dread

Why don't they just pay geohot off. Problem solved.

Actually, Geohot said he would work for apple.

[yalag]

Recently just saw this link:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technol...5875-21798021/


Just thought I'll remind all developers that this good news! No jailbreaking means there won't be piracy anymore!

[gadgetdad]

Originally Posted by yalag

Recently just saw this link:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technol...ring-security-
manager-to-fight-iphone-jailbreaking-115875-21798021/

Just thought I'll remind all developers that this good news! No jailbreaking means there won't be piracy anymore!

Your late

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=814603

[Daremo]

Originally Posted by gadgetdad

Your late

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=814603

So fast to criticize around these parts, I found this one for you...

http://tinyurl.com/2maocc

[cal6n]

The real figure of jailbroken iPhones known to be running pirated apps is 38%. That's 1.5 million users worldwide.

Reference

The true figure is probably higher, as this only represents those unsophisticated pirates who take no precautions against detection. But even working with these statistics, although the proportion of known jailbroken pirates is technically a minority, it is a vast number of actual users and it is likely to be one of the reasons why Apple feels the need to beef up their security. It's not so much a question of looking after Apple's bottom line, as I see it. It's more a question of fostering confidence within the legitimate App Store developer community that their interests are being protected.

Another likely reason is illustrated by the recent SMS hack.

Reference

This shows that a significant proportion of jailbreakers lack the technical knowledge and/or responsibilty required to ensure their own device's security once they've circumvented the measures put in place by Apple. Security lapses of this nature are used by the press to cast Apple in a bad light and it's only natural that the company would want to take ownership of this issue.

[ViViDboarder]

Originally Posted by cal6n

The real figure of jailbroken iPhones known to be running pirated apps is 38%. That's 1.5 million users worldwide.

Reference

The true figure is probably higher, as this only represents those unsophisticated pirates who take no precautions against detection. But even working with these statistics, although the proportion of known jailbroken pirates is technically a minority, it is a vast number of actual users and it is likely to be one of the reasons why Apple feels the need to beef up their security. It's not so much a question of looking after Apple's bottom line, as I see it. It's more a question of fostering confidence within the legitimate App Store developer community that their interests are being protected.

Another likely reason is illustrated by the recent SMS hack.

Reference

This shows that a significant proportion of jailbreakers lack the technical knowledge and/or responsibilty required to ensure their own device's security once they've circumvented the measures put in place by Apple. Security lapses of this nature are used by the press to cast Apple in a bad light and it's only natural that the company would want to take ownership of this issue.

From the first source, the pirates make up of only 3% of all iPhone users. This is not quite as staggering considering how it is with desktops (41% according to one source). http://www.wired.com/threatlevel/200...re-is-pirated/ It should be noted that the iPhone % is DEVICES while the computer % is software products. If this was the case with the phone devices you'd probably have to multiply it by the number of average apps that a pirate downloads. Also, I found this paragraph particularly interesting.

Other statistics of note were that the US, UK, and Japan were the bottom three major countries pirating applications, while China, Russia, and Brazil were the top three. Also, individuals who pirate applications tend to use them less and for a shorter amount of time than those who buy. This seems fairly simple to explain, as it seems to point to the fact that people value—and get more use out of-—things they pay for. However, pirated apps have a higher likelihood of crashing, which could also have something to do with it.

No surprises with Russia and China on the top of that list, but the most interesting part was the stats of people who use the apps. This is a common argument and I often believe that it is not a lie, but that doesn't make it ethically right. The people pirating the apps are people who probably wouldn't have purchased them in the first place, due to the fact that they would barely use them. Really the developers don't lose out in that sense, but this does NOT make it right. If you don't think it's worth the money then you don't really deserve to use the product IMO.

The second source and part of your post makes much more sense as to why Apple would be cracking down. The easier jailbreaking gets the more you are going to have clueless people doing it. People that are going to get popups from things they don't know, bring it to Apple, complain about it or do other things that are going to make things tough for Apple.

[Rodimus Prime]

Repost

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=814603

And please stop thinking jail breakers all pirate. Most of the jail breakers do it because of a long list of other reasons,

Customizing the home screen
putting Alerts on the log screen
THEMES
Customized SMS tones.
the list goes on....
None of which have anything to with piracy. If apple would allow main reason people Jail break onto the iPhone most of the Jail breaking would go away and there might be a real case attack it for pirating apps. Until then please stop saying that people Jailbreak only to pirate.

[Bacong]

Originally Posted by Rodimus Prime

Repost

http://forums.macrumors.com/showthread.php?t=814603

And please stop thinking jail breakers all pirate. Most of the jail breakers do it because of a long list of other reasons,

Customizing the home screen
putting Alerts on the log screen
THEMES
Customized SMS tones.
the list goes on....
None of which have anything to with piracy. If apple would allow main reason people Jail break onto the iPhone most of the Jail breaking would go away and there might be a real case attack it for pirating apps. Until then please stop saying that people Jailbreak only to pirate.

I love my jailbroken phone and haven't stolen anything.

[Blueline29]

Originally Posted by Bacong

I love my jailbroken phone and haven't stolen anything.

Same here.

[Small White Car]

Originally Posted by Rodimus Prime

And please stop thinking jail breakers all pirate. Most of the jail breakers do it because of a long list of other reasons,

Did his original post say that?

Because the edited one says nothing about all jailbreakers being pirates.

Just wondering what was changed.

[divabimbers]

Originally Posted by yalag

Recently just saw this link:

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/technol...5875-21798021/

Just thought I'll remind all developers that this good news! No jailbreaking means there won't be piracy anymore!

I fixed the link for you, and there are some of us who jailbreak for other reasons, not to pirate apps. I jailbroke mine so I could run apps in the background. Not interested in getting apps for free because one, I feel the developers should get paid for their hard work if it's good enough and two, if it's not worth it or it's more than I want to pay, then I just either don't buy the app or wait until I can if I want it.

[Night Spring]

1. Your link doesn't work.
2. Jailbreaking is about much more than pirating apps. Yes, piracy is one unfortunate byproduct of jailbreaking. But I've yet to hear anyone suggest that we get rid of the internet to stop online sharing of pirated songs/movies/etc.

[yalag]

Originally Posted by Night Spring

1. Your link doesn't work.
2. Jailbreaking is about much more than pirating apps. Yes, piracy is one unfortunate byproduct of jailbreaking. But I've yet to hear anyone suggest that we get rid of the internet to stop online sharing of pirated songs/movies/etc.

I know that jailbreaking is not just about stealing, but too bad over 80% of the jailbreakers are thieves. So arguments like this one doesn't hold

[ViViDboarder]

Originally Posted by yalag

I know that jailbreaking is not just about stealing, but too bad over 80% of the jailbreakers are thieves. So arguments like this one doesn't hold

Statistic from where?

[-aggie-]

Originally Posted by yalag

I know that jailbreaking is not just about stealing, but too bad over 80% of the jailbreakers are thieves. So arguments like this one doesn't hold

Can you post your ridiculous statements in this thread? MOST JBers are not thieves.

[Rodimus Prime]

Originally Posted by yalag

I know that jailbreaking is not just about stealing, but too bad over 80% of the jailbreakers are thieves. So arguments like this one doesn't hold

Originally Posted by ViViDboarder

Statistic from where?

What do you expect. He is drunk off the apple koolaid. Apple can do no wrong.