Apple drops the ban hammer on iPhone hackers

By on Feb 15, 2010 at 10:01 AM
News February 15, 2010

app-store-ban

No doubt Apple is leery of having its iPhone OS so easily and frequently hacked (its notoriously weak security being one of the many reasons the iPhone has yet to really take off in the corporate world), but Cupertino’s latest security precaution isn’t likely to win any favor. Just days after a scrappy young iPhone hacked discovered an unlock exploit for OS 3.1.3 baseband 05.12.01, Sherif Hashim received an ominous message on his iPhone after attempting to log into iTunes: “This Apple ID has been disabled for security reasons.” Proving that this is not an isolated incident, fellow hacker iH8sn0w responded to Hashim to let him know the very same thing happened to him after he released an exploit known as XEMN. Perhaps most puzzlingly, however, is the fact that Hasim’s exploit was never publicly released having only been given to the iPhone Dev-Team who plan to incorporate it into their next release. Obviously Apple could claim that its actions were in response to the violation of their intellectual property as well as a breach of the iPhone’s end-user license agreement, but one has to wonder just how far a notoriously heavy-handed company like Apple might go in the future if it is unable to gain the upper hand over hackers like Hashim.

So far there are no indications that Apple has shut down the accounts of your Everyman jailbreaker and unlocker.

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  • dingaling

    Roger is a real estate moron. Please don’t use analogies you know absolutely nothing about. Stick with corn flakes or depends references.

    • __

      disabled for security reasons means you entered your password wrong 3 time and you need to reset you password now. I find it hilarious how people jump to conclusions and don”t know how to use passwords

      • twigg

        No, that is not the only time it comes up. I have had to reset my password three times this year, and trust me; I did not enter it wrong. It happens when trying to access iTunes or account information from the iPod. I think it’s some glitch in the software.

    • Roger

      Eminent Domain. You never truly Own your Home, Period. The Government can take it any time they want and pay you fair market value, regardless of how much money you paid or invested in your home. That is my Point!!! Apple is going to do what ever they want when they want.
      Perhaps you did not like the analogy, but you missed the point…As long as Apple keeps the tight controls, they will continue to own the IP, and look at every Iphone in the market as theirs and do what they want.

  • Michael Perry

    Hacked iPhones can also run pirated copies of software and games that developers put a lot of time and money into. Maybe you guys don’t know that? Or maybe you do but you’re a part of the folks that think all software should be opened source and so the developers get what they deserve when people steal their work? On either case please keep this in mind… I don’t think Apple would do this if the software piracy wasn’t a part of the equation. Also with a hacked iPhone you can also hack the iTunes store to get free music/movies. Again another area where Apple is protecting the content owners and creators from their work being stolen. I’m not an Apple fan boy although I do like a lot of their products. I am however a musician as well have plenty of friends who are coders who appreciate if Apple helps us keep our stuff from getting stolen. I know this is probably going to be ranked low on the comments pole but PLEASE keep your Anti-Apple trolling mindset out of this argument and think about all sides of this thing. Not just the typical Apple Hating side but also the side of the content creators/owners… Objective opinions FTW.

    • __

      disabled for security reasons means you entered your password wrong 3 time and you need to reset you password now.

      • Alex

        hahahahahahaha

    • AdamShegrud

      Yeah and guess what else can be used to play pirated music, yup CD players.

      Lets ban those
      Oh and DVD payers can play pirated DVD’s

      Lets get rid of e-book readers and photocopiers, and PC’s for that matter. Dirty pirates .

      Michael your point here is not only off topic its dumb.
      Pirating software isnt the only reason to jailbreak an iphone, and Id say its prolly not even the main reason. People don’t like being told what to do, and being told that you cant run this software because it looks too much like the built in web broweser and might confuse your stupid little mind, is a one two punch to the nutsack.

      So Apple can go fuck themselves, and so can you if you think that lowly of anyone who wants to use the hardware they bought to run the software they choose.

  • Unsung Hero

    Akron Hammmerrrrrrrrrrrr!!!! Won’t even do the dunk contest!!! That’s y he is wack like Apple!!! Saying BS and doing another thing! Like Spike like said “Do the right thing!”

  • shirokuro

    I can’t speak for all jailbreakers but in my case i jailbroke for ONE reason and one alone. I travel internationally frequently and have pre-paid SIM cards for several countries. Apple and/or AT&T have decided in their infinite wisdom that US iPhone owners are not allowed under any circumstances to unlock their iPhone for use on other carriers. That means that when traveling, international roaming, and the outrageous charges that entails, is the only option. To me, as a consumer, this is totally unacceptable. So, why did I buy an iPhone? – well it’s the greatest device on the market in my opinion, and while AT&T have their issues, I am happy to use them WHILE IN THE US. But, unlike most other countries (and indeed EVERY other phone on AT&T) a US iPhone owner CANNOT get their phone unlocked through legitimate channels. If I lived in one of several other countries, I could buy an unlocked iPhone LEGITIMATELY, or buy one on prepay and get it unlocked LEGITIMATELY. But, not in the US. So, people in my position are left with only 2 choices – either dont buy an iPhone, or else get the device unlocked via some other method. Apple/AT&T will not provide US unlock codes EVEN if you are out of contract, so unfortunately the only other choice is jailbreaking. Let me state clearly – I DON’T NEED OR WANT the jailbreak functionality. I have NEVER pirated a single app, and I buy ALL my apps on the app store. Jailbreaking for me, is a necessary evil to unlock the phone. If I could unlock some other way, I would. Do you hear me Apple/AT&T? – I will PAY you to provide me an unlock code. But you won’t do it, so, again, I have little choice.
    So, dear jailbreak haters, please try to understand the situation some of us are in. I jailbreak to save SIGNIFICANT money while traveling abroad – that’s it. If Apple want the jailbreak numbers to go down – start letting us get (even BUY) unlock codes for our iPhones. Pretty simple.

    • Michael Perry

      Unfortunately the many always get punished for the crimes of the few… That’s just life. Your argument is like me saying ‘why does best buy lock up their equipment? I’m so offended by this because I personally have never stolen anything from a store’. Your argument is just as short sighted as that… just because YOU don’t do it doesn’t’ mean the company should just leave the doors wide open for those who do… Sorry man this is just the way life works.

      • AdamShegrud

        Actually its more like saying that to protect their assets best buy is going to lock you out of their store and all the other stores that sell or give away electronics and also ban you from picking up electronics you find on the street.

        Its ridiculous, its my hardware and Ill do what I want with it. If they can protect their software without restricting me from installing and using free software or software purchased from somewhere aside from the apps store then Im all for them doing that.

      • shirokuro

        While I appreciate your response, if you read what I wrote, what I am really arguing for is the CHOICE to unlock the iPhone for use on other carriers. Jailbreaking is the unfortunate necessary evil for those of us who live in the US and want to unlock. I DO NOT expect to be able to unlock an iPhone for nothing either. I COMPLETELY understand and respect the carrier’s need to recoup the cost of subsidizing the handset. Where that argument falls flat though, is that in the case of AT&T, where you bought an original 2G iPhone (at the original $599 UNSUBSIDIZED price) or where your iPhone (any model) contract expires, or you pay to get out of it via an ETF (Early Termination Fee) then AT&T STILL WILL NOT LET YOU UNLOCK. They have recouped their costs, but they won’t budge. This is not about stealing, it’s about AT&T limiting customer choice, and Apple agreeing to let them. In many countries, what AT&T is doing regarding forbidding iPhone unlocks in any situation is ILLEGAL.
        I’m not really sure what else I can say. You will either agree or you won’t. I have my point of view, and your argument did not sway me in the slightest. Perhaps mine won’t sway you either.

      • AlyssaS

        I completely agree with you Michael. The fact is, the iPhone IS Apple’s product. You are not just paying for the hardware, and they have the right to decide how their product will be used. If they want to control how you use THEIR product, then fine. They have every right. You didn’t develop it. They didn’t make you purchase it, and by purchasing it, you agree to their terms, which include NOT hacking it. If you break that contract, Apple has every right to limit what you can do with it or disable your account If you want to build your own iPhone, go ahead. If there is another company out there with a better product and more freedom, go ahead and give them business instead of Apple. That is how a free market works. Personally, I don’t understand why everyone thinks Apple limits what you can do. They allow TONS of apps through that compete with existing built in iPhone functionality, which they don’t have to do. They have the right to make money and have their exclusive contract with AT&T. If you don’t like that, don’t buy their products. In America, things like this are not (yet) illegal because they shouldn’t be! The government has no business interfering in the economy, which they don’t seem to grasp. It is Apple’s product. They are not obligated to do anything for you, and it is perfectly right and moral that they should choose to limit what they allow consumers to do with their product. They are a business. Business provide goods and services, and consumers PAY for those. If you don’t like the goods and services, you turn to their competition, not make their businesses practices illegal. That hurts everyone in the end.

    • http://g3tactical rhust

      Is it possible for you to buy an iphone, unlocked in another country via Apple’s approved methods and use it here?

  • juli

    question; I just realized my iPhone won’t allow me to txt pics anymore! back to 2009….. I was outta the country n just noticed the other day….( I know it has nothing to do wit the subject! just a cry for help!)

    anyone?

    Posted from BGR Mobile (iPhone) at: Ridgefield Park Ridgefield Park, NJ 07660, USA

  • J S N

    Awe…the Iphone boys are crying again?

  • Moe

    I think the main reason why people tend to hack iPhones is the fact that unlike some Nokia and Sony Ericssons, the iPhone is locked onto the carrier you bought it from. Of course, Apple sells legally unlocked iPhones to distributers, but they’re scarcely found in the States. I was on vacation in Dubai, and I went to one of the iPhone retailers there, a place called Axiom, and they sell iPhones completely unlocked. Now if Apple will sell these unlocked iPhones to other retailers, maybe the hacking issue would tone down a bit.

  • Matthew Lowery

    Apple just don’t get it do they? The reason they’re jailbreaking is because they’re unhappy with what Apple are offering them. Maybe if they added the features everyone wants, people wouldn’t need to jailbreak.

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