Have
you ever looked at someone's iPhone home screen, and noticed that it has five
icons in the dock? Or maybe you've seen a classic console emulator running on
an iPad? Don't go looking for these apps on the App Store--these features and
more are only possible with a hack called jailbreaking.
So
how does jailbreaking work, and what does it actually do to your coveted
iDevice? Can you jailbreak on other platforms or hardware besides Apple's? What
are the risks involved, and is it even legal? Read on as we try to answer all
of your jailbreaking questions. And if we don't, feel free to ask more
questions the comments!
Here
to help out is none other than notorious iOS hacker Jay Freeman (aka saurik),
technology consultant and creator of the alternative App Store, Cydia.
What
Is Jailbreaking?
Many
smartphone, tablet, and game console makers include a layer of Digital Rights
Management (DRM) software on their products. This DRM exists either to limit
the software you can run on it, or is there for security reasons. Jailbreaking
is the process of hacking these devices to bypass DRM restrictions, allowing
you to run "unauthorized" software and to make other tweaks to your
operating system.
More
technically, jailbreaking can be thought of as the process of installing
"a modified set of kernel patches (the kernel being the supervisor of the
operating system) that allow you to run unsigned code," as saurik
explains. It also gives you root-level access, which is otherwise unavailable.
The term "root" comes from UNIX, where it is the superuser account
that has unrestricted rights and permissions to all files. This provides you
with added flexibility, but it also has some inherent dangers (more on that
later).
You
can alter or install anything onto your phone or tablet such as UI hacks (like
the 5-icon dock) or unofficial apps (like classic console emulators) that would
not otherwise be accepted into the App Store. Saurik's alternative app store,
called Cydia, is arguably the definitive repository of such apps or tweaks. Cydia
is so ubiquitous in iOS jailbreaking circles that most jailbreak tools install
it automatically.
iPhone
hackers first coined the term "jailbreaking" in reference to breaking
the iPhone out of Apple’s iTunes “jail.” The term has since been (somewhat erroneously)
used in a more general sense to refer to similar hacks made to other platforms
like Android, where it's also known as “rooting”. In any case, the basic
concept is the same, regardless of what you call it.
Why
Jailbreak?
A
heavily customized jailbroken iPhone. (See source link at bottom.)
For
better or for worse, iOS is a closed environment: Apps need to adhere to
Apple's stringent guidelines to make it onto the App Store. To a certain
extent, this restriction exists for your own protection and to maintain the
overall quality of apps. There are some apps, however, that don't make the cut
but arguably ought to--the WikiLeaks app for iOS comes to mind.
"When
you go to the App Store and install an app, you click [the icon], it opens, you
do stuff with it, you hit the home button to close it, it goes away,"
saurik says. "An app is a self-controlled universe hidden behind a single
icon." Anything outside this simple design--like saurik's UI theming mod
called Winterboard, or any other alterations to built-in apps--is strictly
forbidden.
To
Apple, an app is like a sandbox. Your app can only play within the sandbox, but
if you want to roam outside of it, jailbreaking is your only option.
Why
Not Jailbreak?
Jailbreaking
has some inherent risks. Root access is necessary for modding, but it can also
open the floodgates for malicious attacks. Although there haven't been many
documented cases of this, one hacker did create a harmless Rick-roll worm known
as iKee to emphasize the vulnerability of jailbroken devices that haven't been
properly secured by users.
Additionally,
because jailbreak apps don't have to adhere to Apple's guidelines, some users
complain about general instability, increased data usage, or decreased battery
life.
At
this point, some users argue the value in jailbreaking has diminished as iOS
matures and incorporates features that were once only available to modders,
such as multitasking, home screen backgrounds, and improved notifications.
One
might argue, however, that without jailbreaking, Apple may not have adopted
some of these features in the first place.
In
the ongoing cat-and-mouse game between Apple and iOS hackers, some might say
that Apple has been gaining the upper–hand as jailbreak tools have begun to
slow in release. New jailbreak methods used to be released within days of an
iOS version release (if not before), but as Apple vigilantly seals security
holes with every new firmware and hardware update, hackers may be struggling
more to keep up. For example, a jailbreak for the iPhone 4S and iPad 2 only
recently came out--months after Apple released them. Still, when it comes to
hackers, if there's a will, there's almost certainly a way.
How
to Jailbreak?
Absinthe
A5 lets you jailbreak the iPhone 4S and iPad 2.
Generally,
jailbreaking tools come in the form of OS X or Windows desktop applications.
Currently, the only tool to jailbreak the A5 processor-based iPhone 4S and iPad
2 with iOS 5.0.1 is called Absinthe. Other tools, such as PwnageTool and
redsn0w, are only able to jailbreak older devices running iOS 5.0.1. The
renowned iPhone Dev-Teamreleased the very first jailbreak tool, and the group
is still central to the iOS hacker community; its blog is a good place to go to
see what's new in jailbreaking tools.
Is
Jailbreaking Legal?
It
depends a little bit on who you ask, but as far as the US government is
concerned, it is legal to jailbreak your smartphone. In 2010, the Digital
Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) recognized the arguments of the Electronic
Frontier Foundation (EFF, the international non-profit digital rights advocacy
organization) to add phone jailbreaking to a list of exemptions to
anti-circumvention provisions. This DMCA exemption is up for review again this
year, and the EFF and other groups like the Software Freedom Law Center hope to
get the exemption expanded to cover hacking other personal computing
devices--like tablets and game consoles as well.
Some
folks, particularly hackers and modders, insist that jailbreaking is a right
and do it as something of a statement. They'll often compare it it souping up a
car: Imagine buying a car with the hood welding shut so you can't modify it.
Some say that's just not right.
Apple
and some other companies, on the other hand, continue to plead with regulators
to outlaw the practice. The best they can do at this point is tell users that
jailbreaking defies their terms of use and voids the warranty. In other words,
while you don't risk being arrested just for jailbreaking, don't expect any
help from the Apple Store genius when your hacked iPhone has a problem.
source
from PCWorld
Tag :
software
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