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iPhone, iPod Touch 1.1.1 Firmwares Jailbroken

Posted by CmdrTaco on from the pat-yourselves-on-the-back dept.

vertigoCiel writes "Hackers Niacin and Dre have recently gained full read and write access to the filesystems of both the iPhone and the iPod Touch. The Jailbreak exploits a vulnerability in Safari's TIFF library to execute the necessary code when the specially crafted image is loaded. Access can then be permanently sustained by modifying the fstab file with iPhuc"

35 of 347 comments (clear)

  1. Makes me wonder by Dunbal · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I wonder if Apple are going to keep playing "cat and mouse", and try to bring legal action to bear against these "vile hackers", or if they're going to take the hint that you can't stop us all? Clearly there's a demand for unlocked iPhones.

    --
    Seven puppies were harmed during the making of this post.
    1. Re:Makes me wonder by Aladrin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      What 'hint'? They are under legal obligation to maintain their firmware so that the phones can't be used on other networks for another 5 years. They are also under obligation to their customers to provide firmware for their phone that is as bug-free as possible. If the user can hack it, a malicious attacker can, too.

      So are you saying that they shouldn't patch the vulnerabilities, that they shouldn't release new firmware at all, or that they should break their contract with AT&T which could make every iPhone out there useless overnight unless it is hacked?

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    2. Re:Makes me wonder by Threni · · Score: 5, Insightful

      > They are under legal obligation to maintain their firmware so that the phones can't be used on other networks for another 5 years.

      In some countries the exact opposite is true!

    3. Re:Makes me wonder by Reality+Master+101 · · Score: 5, Interesting

      But they're not under any obligation to prevent third party applications. That's just greed. They want to eventually sell only licensed third party apps.

      --
      Sometimes it's best to just let stupid people be stupid.
    4. Re:Makes me wonder by Rob+T+Firefly · · Score: 5, Funny

      What 'hint'? They are under legal obligation to maintain their firmware so that the phones can't be used on other networks for another 5 years. I could sign a specially-worded contract putting me under legal obligation to learn how to breathe margarine and turn the moon into a Buick, but it doesn't mean I'll be able to in practice.
      --
      Slashdot Burying Stories About Slashdot Media Owned
    5. Re:Makes me wonder by Aladrin · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I don't know what their contract says with AT&T, but that might very well be on there. Something to the tune of 'only tested and approved applications'.

      But even assuming it's not a contractual obligation, Apple announced they weren't going to allow third-party apps weeks before the first iPhone was sold. It wasn't a surprise and anyone who bought it with the intent of hacking it and putting their own apps on it did so at their own risk.

      I've bought devices, used 'hacks' on them, and did other things with them. But I did so with each of them with the complete understanding of how much money I could lose if anything happened that I couldn't control. In fact, while I was soldering one, my father was in the other room saying comforting things like 'That's a $300 mistake.' Turns out, he was almost right on that one... I barely managed to fix it.

      Anyone complaining about Apple updating their firmware has rocks in their head. It's what they do, it's what they said they'll do, and nobody ought to be surprised that they'll do it.

      If you want an open phone, there are several on the market or very close to market that will work MUCH better and the companies will support you in creating the apps. There's no need to hack the iPhone and Apple has cheated no one.

      --
      "If you make people think they're thinking, they'll love you; But if you really make them think, they'll hate you." - DM
    6. Re:Makes me wonder by MightyYar · · Score: 4, Informative

      Well, in this case closing down the iPhone will actually end up making it more secure... A bug in the TIFF library that allows some kind of code to execute sounds like a pretty serious security vulnerability. By locking down the iPhone, Apple has made it attractive to hackers of the non-malicious sort. They have found a vulnerability that Apple will now presumably have to plug, making the iPhone more secure against hackers of the malicious sort.

      Of course, they shouldn't have this type of security bug in the first place... one wonders if it isn't also present on the Mac.

      --
      W..w..W - Willy Waterloo washes Warren Wiggins who is washing Waldo Woo.
    7. Re:Makes me wonder by AusIV · · Score: 3, Informative

      I wonder if Apple are going to keep playing "cat and mouse", and try to bring legal action to bear against these "vile hackers",

      On what grounds? People are hacking their own phones, which is explicitly permitted under the DMCA. Link (pdf warning). Apple is under no obligation to support it or make it easy, but they can't sue people for unlocking iPhones.

    8. Re:Makes me wonder by Atzanteol · · Score: 4, Insightful

      But you *would* be under legal obligation to *try*.

      --
      "Ignorance more frequently begets confidence than does knowledge"

      - Charles Darwin
    9. Re:Makes me wonder by Red+Flayer · · Score: 3, Interesting

      They are under legal obligation to maintain their firmware so that the phones can't be used on other networks for another 5 years.
      Not quite -- they are under contractual obligation, which is something quite different.

      Would AT&T have legal recourse if Apple didn't fulfill its obligation? Yes.

      Would Apple face prosecution for violating the law if it didn't fulfill the obligation? No.

      And as a matter of fact, legal obligations supercede contractual obligations. For example, in some countries, it is debated whether Apple is legally allowed to exclude other service providers.

      or that they should break their contract with AT&T which could make every iPhone out there useless overnight unless it is hacked?
      Oh, right... like AT&T would actually stop providing hugely profitable service to iPhones. They'd continue to provide service to iPhone owners, they'd just also sue Apple.
      --
      "Trolls they were, but filled with the evil will of their master: a fell race..." -- J.R.R. Tolkien on Olog-hai
    10. Re:Makes me wonder by Richard_at_work · · Score: 4, Interesting
      I currently have an O2 contract phone (W810i - very pleased with both phone and network) and my contract is coming up for renewal at about the same time as the iPhone will be released. As you can guess, my decision is now slightly more complicated:

      • iPhone for £269.00 and 18 month contract for £35 a month:
        • 200 minutes and 200 texts a month
        • Unlimited (within reason) data
        • Free wifi access at the Cloud access points
      • N95 for free and 18 month contract for £30 a month:
        • 400 minutes and 200 texts a month
        • Better featured phone
        • 200MB data a month for extra £7.50 a month or unlimited data for an extra £30 a month

      The iPhone deal comes to £899 total and the N95 deal comes to £675.

      Quite frankly, the *only* reason the iPhone is even still in the running is because of the inclusive data and wifi at the moment - and even then I am still heavily leaning toward the N95 with the 200MB data allowance.

      Thoughts?
    11. Re:Makes me wonder by visualight · · Score: 4, Insightful

      If you want an open phone, there are several on the market or very close to market that will work MUCH better and the companies will support you in creating the apps. There's no need to hack the iPhone and Apple has cheated no one.

      My opinion on this is that it is unethical and should be illegal for ANY phone on the market to be restricted to a network, or restricted in available applications based solely on who gets paid. It's bad enough that companies have framed the software market so that products you "buy" aren't yours but licensed, they want the same paradigm with hardware too. It's bullshit, and it shouldn't be tolerated just because someone else sells uncrippled hardware.
      --
      Samsung took back my unlocked bootloader because Google wants me to rent movies. They're both evil.
    12. Re:Makes me wonder by MrHanky · · Score: 5, Insightful

      The terms of the contract, according to the Mac community, is that whenever there is something annoying with the phone -- bricking, restricted access of all sorts -- it's AT&T's fault. This also goes for the ipod touch, which features the exact same restrictions.

    13. Re:Makes me wonder by Gilmoure · · Score: 5, Funny

      iPhone is really pretty?

      --
      I drank what? -- Socrates
    14. Re:Makes me wonder by ZachPruckowski · · Score: 5, Insightful

      I've bought devices, used 'hacks' on them, and did other things with them. But I did so with each of them with the complete understanding of how much money I could lose if anything happened that I couldn't control.

      Anyone complaining about Apple updating their firmware has rocks in their head. It's what they do, it's what they said they'll do, and nobody ought to be surprised that they'll do it.

      All true. Expecting Apple to support hacked models with new firmware is a bit silly. The iPhone updater completely re-flashes the iPod, and then re-adds the data from iTunes. So any update will at least wipe Apps, unless Apple does special work to preserve them.

      But just as importantly, there's nothing saying you "have to" update the firmware. It's voluntary. Sure, you've got to if you want the bugfixes and new features, but that's hardly mandatory. Users can continue to use the 1.0.2 firmware for as long as they want to, or until there's some sort of iPhone virus out there.
    15. Re:Makes me wonder by geeknado · · Score: 3, Interesting
      Apple made a conscious choice to /not/ support third party apps when they failed to provide a development API for the iPhone. Most companies are "greedy", in that they need to make money to satisfy investors, and Apple's no exception. However, I'm not sure that's their primary focus here...Apple likes to maintain a user experience monopoly with its own devices...That "Experience" factor(it just works, etcetc) is key to their whole marketing strategy. In the OS world, they can't compete without supporting 3rd party apps...Computers are expected to be extensible. Phones, however, are a completely different story, and many are, in fact, locked down.

      The trap they've fallen into, of course, is that their direct competition at the price point typically /does/ allow 3rd party apps, so people are understandably resentful.

      One thing that I think is particularly interesting about all of this is the tendancy for people to point a finger at AT&T about this particular issue. Based on some of the other smartphones on their network, I'd be surprised if the lack of supported 3rd party apps at this stage is /really/ attributable to them, although it's certainly the excuse that's been given out from a PR perspective. AT&T clearly supports 3rd party apps on other phones...Why not this one?

      AT&T clearly has every reason in the world to care about whether or not these phones stay locked to their network, of course...That's money in their pockets. That may in fact be why these phones are actually being bricked. But the third party app thing? That's a little more complicated, imo.

    16. Re:Makes me wonder by camperslo · · Score: 3, Funny

      Kinda funny how people use the word "free". It's a bundle.

      Calling those phones free is like getting a "free" wedding ring. You do get the ring, but the one giving it to you expects exclusive rights to screw you...

    17. Re:Makes me wonder by Inanition85 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Thing is, most anytime you buy a cell phone, you're buying both the hardware and the network, not one or the other. It's just like the verizon commercials where the "network" (crowd of people) follows around those who just bought their phones, you don't get one without the other. While this may seem to be "unfair" or "unethical", remember that in a free market economy, any time someone sees a market they can go into and make a profit, they will. In this case, the major manufacturers of phones and major carriers have seen a market that they can make a profit on in a certain way and are doing so.

      Another thing, this really isn't so different from what most hardware manufacturers do. If you buy most video cards or processors/mobos (certain high end/hardcore gamer models excepted, of course), the licensing and warrantees say that if you attempt to modify the hardware or use it beyond its specs (i.e. overclocking either in hardware or with hacked drivers), the warrantee is void. And in further comparison, are not certain pieces of hardware locked to certain OSs or manufacturers? (I'm thinking the reversed PCI cards and mobos on Gateway PCs of a few years back, or the fact that most Compaq and HP pcs of the past have had entirely proprietary hardware that cannot be replaced with standard components.) Even Apple themselves (until recently) would not support or even officially allow Windows to run on their PCs (and they still do not allow their OS to run on IBM-compatible PCs, anything not made by Apple won't run it). How is this that different from the iPhone?

      Nothing I've seen in the PC or cell phone markets should lead me to believe that what Apple is doing with the iPhone is any different that what every other company does with their products (including the price cut). What a shock, Apple is a company just like everyone else! So maybe the iPhone has some amzaing capabilities and we'd like it to be unlocked so we can exploit these as we'd like, but Apple makes the device, and can sell it as they see fit. If you don't like that, maybe it's time for you to either run for Congress and change the laws, or go and create a device that's as good (or better) on your own. Either way you'll be contributing more to society than sitting on /. and repeatedly posting about how bad this is. And lest you call me a hypocrit, I'm in law school taking copyright classes and the like, so that perhaps I might be able to make a difference when finished.

    18. Re:Makes me wonder by Rogerborg · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Apple are supposed to be the "good" guys to their fanbase

      Apple regularly bitch-slap their fanbase like 2-bit whores. And still they come crawling back for more, whispering "It's not them, it's me. Apple will change, if I just love them enough," through their split, swollen lips. It's sad, is what it is.

      --
      If you were blocking sigs, you wouldn't have to read this.
    19. Re:Makes me wonder by itsdapead · · Score: 4, Insightful

      I currently have an O2 contract phone (W810i - very pleased with both phone and network)

      So why do you feel compelled to get a new one?

      Personally, I'd give it another year before going iPhone and see what the second-gen ones are like (esp. with respect to 3G/HSPDA which may have been a defensible decision in the US but its a bit of a joke in the UK).

      As other posters have said, if you're going for a new not-iPhone then T-Mobile do much better "unlimited" data deals.

      --
      In a survey of 100 programmers, 111111 thought that duck-typing was a good idea.
  2. Well by Deag · · Score: 4, Funny

    iphucing love the name

  3. Keep your stuff updated.. by comm2k · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Apparently they used the same vulnerability to hack the PSP.

  4. Soubds like alot of work by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Wouldn't it be easier to buy an phone/mp3 player that isn't crippled?

  5. Re:Great by ichigo+2.0 · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Don't patch until there is a working hack for the new patch. And yes, a new hack will always surface.

  6. Not a long term solution by uglydog · · Score: 4, Interesting

    according to the article since the TIFF exploit can be patched. I understand it's a "cat and mouse game", but I was wondering why there can't be a more permanent solution, like creating an image that can be restored using the iTunes Restore function.

    This is great news and I'd like to know how do you get started learning how to hack the iPhone? I found stuff that explains how the jail breaking works, but not how it was discovered or what was tried, etc. Blogs, logs, etc would be cool.

  7. Opportunity? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Am I the only person here who reads that there is a vulnerability in the way iPhone handles TIFF files who immediately thinks that this is a massive security problem that needs to be addressed immediately? Sure, a handful of people will make use of this to open up their iPhone. Good for you. However, for everyone else, this is just a hole waiting to be exploited by someone posting a malicious TIFF onto a website or in an email and luring the iPhone users to view the TIFF causing havoc.

  8. Jail Break How-To by Chris_Stankowitz · · Score: 4, Informative

    Reposted from: http://www.iphonealley.com/news/iphone-v1-1-1-jailbreak-apptapp-installation-guide

    Jailbreaking Steps

    1. Sync and pray
    1. Sync your iPhone with iTunes. You'll be losing all of your information, so it's a good idea to back up
    2. Downgrade to v1.0.2
    1. Hold down the Sleep/Wake and Home buttons at the same time for about 10 seconds. The phone should shut down.
    2. When the phone shuts down, release the Sleep/Wake button but continue holding Home
    3. Wait until iTunes recognizes the iPhone. The screen will appear to be off, but iTunes will eventually recognize the iPhone. When it does, let go.
    4. A message will appear telling you to restore. Click OK
    5. Using your favorite browser, download the v1.0.2 software from this location. You may need to rename to .ipsw if it comes as a .zip
    6. Back in iTunes, hold Option on the Mac or Shift on the PC while clicking Restore. Navigate to the software you downloaded and select it.
    7. The phone will restore, but it will fail. This is normal.
    8. Your iPhone should show a yellow triangle. Run Nullriver's AppTapp. It should bring you back to the Activation step on the phone and show an error in the application. Disregard the error.
    9. Run AppTapp again and it should succeed.
    10. If not using an AT&T SIM, use INdependence to activate your iPhone. That's it!
    3. Create Symlink
    1. If you haven't already, install Nullriver's AppTapp
    2. Go to http://conceitedsoftware.com/iphone/beta in iPhone's Safari. Tap "Yes" to add to Installer
    3. Plug iPhone in and open iTunes. Make sure it's recognized before proceeding
    4. Using Installer, install "Trip1Prepz" located under "System"
    4. Upgrade to v1.1.1
    1. In iTunes click "Upgrade" and not Restore. Restoring will ruin our progress.
    2. Once upgraded to 1.1.1, close iTunes
    5. Jailbreak
    1. Download iPHUC and friends from Rapidshare
    2. Extract the contents so that iphuc, fstab, and iphonefs are all on the Desktop
    3. If you don't have libreadline, download it and extract the zip to your Macintosh HD
    4. Open Terminal.app located in Applications>Utilities
    5. Type cd ~/Desktop and hit return
    6. Type ./iphuc and hit return
    7. Type getfile

  9. Re:iPhuc? by gEvil+(beta) · · Score: 3, Funny

    Who said total nerds weren't funny? It's a wonder with comedy like this more pocket protector types don't get laid.

    Well, according to the name of the program, at least one does...

    --
    This guy's the limit!
  10. TIFF image exploit? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Insightful

    So let me get this straight: if an image handling vulnerability is in IE or Firefox, it's deplorable, but if it's in an iPhone, it's the greatest thing ever?

    If you cretins don't like the iPhone's contract terms, DON'T BUY ONE.

    1. Re:TIFF image exploit? by Durzel · · Score: 5, Funny

      Well you're almost right.

      If it's an image handling vulnerability in IE then the skies are falling and it's featured on the front page of Slashdot.

      If the same vulnerability appears in Firefox then it's trivial and automatically "nothing to worry about" simply because it's OSS.

      If it's a vulnerability in iPhone then Apple intended it to be there in the first place and it's the users who are mistaken in thinking it was a problem.

  11. For Example: Soviet Union and South Korea by Johnny+Mozzarella · · Score: 5, Funny

    In the Soviet Union the firmware is under legal obligation to maintain you for 5 years.

    In South Korea only old people maintain their firmware.

  12. iPhuc??? by steve_thatguy · · Score: 4, Funny

    I didn't know Apple had a sex-toy product line.

  13. I'd just like to point out by SpiritGod21 · · Score: 5, Funny

    Apple's firmware division is not in charge of Gundam.

  14. But they are hackers by Swift2001 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    If their hack depends on a "specially-crafted" TIFF, then that's a bug, and Apple is under an obligation to close that hole. How would you like it if a "specially-crafted TIFF" was used to steal all your personal information?

    Open the SDK, Apple. Allow the legal unlocking, and make it easy for people to write apps and then sell them for them on iTunes. Stop being jerks. You make money to the extent that you're not jerks.

    But hacking is hacking, and I don't want any vulnerabilities on my iPhone, even if it's just "good guys" who are using them.

  15. So... by IntergalacticWalrus · · Score: 3, Insightful

    What's Apple's excuse for locking up the iPod Touch...?

    With the iPhone it was apparently part of the contract they signed with AT&T, but with the iPod Touch, Apple has NO fucking excuse.