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iPhone Jailbreak Uses a PDF Display Vulnerability
adeelarshad82 writes "Latest reports indicate that the website that 'jailbreaks' iPhones, iPads, and iPod Touches does so by means of a PDF-based vulnerability in OS X. PDF parsing and rendering is a core feature of OS X, and there have been several other vulnerabilities in the past in iOS CoreGraphics PDF components." As Gruber points out, the proper term for this is not "jailbreak," but "remote code exploit in the wild."
Poor Dumb *Explicit*s
I forget can some one remind me what P.D.F. stands for again?
Programmable Digital-executable Format
And they've almost got every means of binary execution crammed in.
Really says alot about Apple's policies if the mass media is treating this like a feature and a good thing to be able to jailbreak it.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.
Yes, excellent job. Now you just ran an app on your hand held computer that rooted it from a browser. Amazing work of the hackers aside, are you certain you now know for sure your phone is not spying on you and is not going to be used for something you do not want, like someone else using your connection for long distance calls or for spam or DDOS attacks or just a part of some cellular botnet?
Amazing job - someone rooting your phone through a PDF.
You can't handle the truth.
They may have stopped in later versions(my job description requires supporting XP, and you have to pay me to care about windows, so that is where my knowledge lies); but MS included flash in XP. It is version 6; because base XP is older than dirt; but they did include it.
More relevant to modern readers, most OEMs seem to ship consumer-focused systems with vaguely up-to-date-but-just-a-bit-behind versions of Flash(and acrobat reader, and other stuff). This isn't strictly microsoft's fault; but it is what you are likely to get out of the box.
If you consider jailbreaking the iPhone a favor to the user.
The users who are doing it would, that's why they are doing it!
The next site that uses this gaping security hole to install a rootkit, or other malicious piece of software, won't be such a favor. This is a huge security issue for iDevices.
Oh, I totally agree - it's a pretty bad security flaw, and has nice demonstration code for how to exploit it as well so it's pretty much the worst possible case.
That's why it's so interesting to see if there are in fact followup malicious attacks.
The fact that it is a PDF exploit rather than an iOS issue makes it more difficult for Apple to patch since it's not "one of their own".
No. Apple wrote all the PDF handling code in iOS (and on the Mac). We'd see a lot more attacks like this had they embedded Adobe Reader....
Clearly it's Apple responsibility to fix this ASAP (and their fault for letting it get into customer's hands), so they better get on it before someone else starts turning things into iP0wns.
It is 100% on Apple to get a fix out. With 4.1 so close at hand, they may wait on that to finish up... or perhaps it's a sliding scale and the first sign of any real attack will bring down the update hammer if it happens before 4.1 (4.1 beta 3 just came out today and probably fixes this bug).
"There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
Pardon my language, but, what the fuck?
If my web browser is such that browsing to a page can lead to code execution as root, that's bad. I don't care if the system is open or closed or what government agency might be listening in, it is a serious vulnerability any way you slice it. It should be patched.
Your comment is entirely irrelevant to the post it is replying to. You're phrasing it as a rebuttal of some kind, but it does not say anything to this point.
Your comment is ridiculous, yet moderated at +5 Insightful. If your computer can be owned through a web browser by opening a PDF, then your computer is insecure, this is the issue.
If you buy products from a company that does not release source code that is a different issue completely. Yes, a company can be providing governments with your information. No, it does not make it OK for the phone from that company to be exploitable the way iphone is.
You can't handle the truth.
I looked at the web page for my local newspaper today and it featured two headlines right above one another:
1. iPhone4 Jailbreak Offers Apps to Millions
2. Microsoft Windows Flaw Leaves Millions Vulnerable to Hackers and Malware
I guess we always knew that mass media lives well inside the reality distortion field, but still ...
The joke is that this so-called "document format" is going way outside its original scope and now supports so much scripting that it might as well be a library for executable files.
It says nothing about Apple's policies and everything about the mass media.
Genuine question, no sarcasm tag required: How do those who berate Apple's walled-garden approach feel about games consoles? It genuinely puzzles me why we don't hear nearly so many complaints about the lack of open access to consoles, while a similar (to my mind; feel free to put me right) approach to a phone is evil.
As for the exploit that makes this jailbreaking possible, I sympathize with people who wish to jailbreak their phone, but I hope this particular exploit is closed as soon as possible. I've heard there are some unscrupulous types in tha intarweb who might consider using such a thing for less than altruistic purposes.
OK, maybe a touch of sarcasm after all.
Regarding 2), I think that would only be correct if virius was that masculine etc etc. But since everyone is talking about viruses, not viriuses, the term "virii" is pure retardation.
Disclaimer: IANAL. This post is, however, legal advice, and creates an attorney-client relationship.
I think the difference is that to many people, a phone is an important part of everyday life. You use it to track appointments, keep in touch with people, read email, surf the web, get information, etc. It's a very personal device.
On the other hand, a game console isn't very personal. While you can personalize it in some ways, it never really rises above the straightforward tasks of playing games and other media. And since you don't (usually) take it with you, a game console is just not going to be as integral to your everyday life as a phone.
So, when it seems like someone else has control over your phone, it's much more unsettling. You think of it and everything on it as "yours," and every time you're reminded that someone else holds all the keys to it, that illusion is dispelled a little bit more.
Check out my world simulator thingy.