In a blog post today, famous iPhone security expert Jonathan Zdziarski announced that he’s going to work for Apple. It’s an unusual announcement for a number of reasons — firstly, people don’t normally know or care who’s working on Apple’s security team — but Zdziarski is a little different.
Zdziarski is a prominent security consultant who’s also been a thorn in Apple’s side for years. Most notably, he’s called out Apple for shipping a version of iOS without an encrypted kernel, pulled apart Facebook’s iOS code to reveal “malware-like” code, and been a vital source of information during Apple’s short war with the FBI.
In his blog post, Zdziarski briefly summarized his reasons for the move:
I’m pleased to announce that I’ve accepted a position with Apple’s Security Engineering and Architecture team, and am very excited to be working with a group of like minded individuals so passionate about protecting the security and privacy of others.
This decision marks the conclusion of what I feel has been a matter of conscience for me over time. Privacy is sacred; our digital lives can reveal so much about us – our interests, our deepest thoughts, and even who we love. I am thrilled to be working with such an exceptional group of people who share a passion to protect that.
Zdziarski has long been an advocate for customer privacy and strong encryption. Apple’s hiring move is likely just a coincidence, a case of a company picking up a talented employee where possible. But in the current climate, going and finding a security engineer who is also well known for his ethical stance on hacking certainly sounds like a message.
