In this week’s top stories: iPhone 7 leaks, Apple invests in a Chinese Uber competitor, the UK shows off works to bring driving licenses to Apple Wallet, and we take a look at the state of jailbreaking for May, new apps, & much more. Head below for the usual handy roundup of links to all this week’s most shared stories and video.
For nearly half a decade, teams of hackers and programmers have worked tirelessly to crack Apple’s iOS software code in order to inject new features, themes, and applications. Now, a team led by noted former jailbreak developers Will Strafach, otherwise known as “Chronic”, and Joshua Hill, known as P0sixninja, is working to secure Apple’s mobile platform. The duo, along with a list of unnamed former jailbreak developers, has been working on a new comprehensive platform to secure iOS devices for both enterprises and consumers. Strafach provided us with a preview of the platform known as “Apollo,” the first security product from his new company Sudo Security Group.
Editors note: Will Strafach (@chronic) runs a mobile security services firm helping enterprises protect their employees and confidential data from mobile threats. Fast and thorough analysis of the compiled binaries found within the HackingTeam dump was possible using their upcoming cloud-based iOS application analysis platform, using highly advanced pattern-matching and heuristic techniques to detect threats and privacy leaks within applications installed on enrolled mobile devices. He can be reached at will@wstraf.me if any readers have further questions or concerns regarding HackingTeam or other iOS malware.
Written by: Will “Chronic” Strafach
There has been a lot of mixed information and speculation in the media recently in regards to the HackingTeam leak and what it all means for iOS users. Do the surveillance tools the group has reportedly provided to governments and law enforcement present a risk to the average iPhone and iPad user? That’s a question we’ve been getting a lot, so I will attempt to present all of the facts based on the recently leaked documents detailing the HackingTeam’s tools, as well as my opinion on the impact of certain aspects for iOS devices. Advanced users will already be aware of what I am about to state, but for everyone else, here’s what we’re dealing with:
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The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) announced this week that it has filed a petition with the U.S. Librarian of Congress and the Copyright Office to extend and expand the exemption that makes jailbreaking an iOS device or rooting an Android device possible without violating the Digital Millenium Copyright Act (DMCA) in the United States.
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[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rDBHXbwgdc4]
Hacker Pod2g posted an interesting video this morning on his blog that shows a working untethered jailbreak performed on the iPhone 4S with iOS 5.0.1. It runs without a hiccup and the device easily reboots after the jailbreak without needing to tether it to a computer. The video is credited to Dustin Howett, a Chronic Dev Team member.
According to Pod2g, with “only a few to wait now,” an untethered jailbreak for iPhone 4S and iPad 2 is around the corner. The video demonstration follows a flurry of Twitter activity last week that indicated that jailbreak community is now close to releasing a jailbreak solution for A5-driven iOS devices running iOS 5.0.1. Note that an untethered jailbreak for non-A5 devices running iOS 5.0.1 has been available since the end of 2011.
