Jailbreak Detection API Dropped from iOS 4.2

[Wiley John Wright]

Apple has quietly dropped a jailbreak detection API from the latest iOS 4.2 update. This feature was only introduced six month ago. It is somewhat puzzling that Apple would choose to remove this feature from the iOS so soon after introducing it to the platform. Apple and the jailbreak community have been playing a game of cat and mouse ever since the App Store was first introduced in 2008.

The jailbreak detection API is part of Apple’s mobile device management (MDM) API that was released back in June with the introduction of iOS 4.0. The detection API works by asking the operating system if it has been compromised in any way. Jailbreaks usually change operating system files to gain access to the iOS, so that users can install non-approved apps. Apple routinely issues updates to circumvent these exploits requiring jailbreak developers to find new ways of gaining access to the iOS.

For most iPhone users, jailbreaking an iOS device is just a way to install unapproved apps, install customizations and in general, have more control over their devices. For enterprise users, where maintaining tight security is a top priority, jailbreaking an iPhone can be a real headache for network administrators. Some corporations have created their own ways of checking the integrity of a users iPhone by attempting to carry out actions that a non-jailbroken iPhone would not be able to perform. If the iPhone is able to operate unauthorized actions, the iPhone in question can have its access to the corporate network disabled.

The fact that Apple has dropped jailbreak detection should be a good thing for the jailbreak community. It would appear that jailbreak developers have become so adept at countering any security measures that Apple can come up with, that there is no one solution for maintaining a closed operating system. This can only be good news for the jailbreak community, unless of course, Apple has something new waiting in the wings. Lets hope not because I would hate too loose all of my favorite jailbreak apps.

Source: NetworkWorld

[David666]

Sweet;p

[Rob2G]

Jailbreaking is an old term, we should call it Consumer Rights Rebalancing.

[HarlemState]

If there's a will there's a way.

[badass1469]

Jailbreaking is an old term, we should call it Consumer Rights Rebalancing.

yeah, we should call it that. but for short or abbreviation we should call it "jailbreaking"

[Rob2G]

yeah, we should call it that. but for short or abbreviation we should call it "jailbreaking"

Fine. Have it your way. Lol.

I have to restore 4.1 on miphone, something from cydia is causing issues(folder enhancer I think). Thankfully pwnage tool rebalances my consumer rights in 10 minutes.

[klouud]

I really wish Apple would negotiate with us the way Microsoft negotiated with their jailbreak community. I would pay an annual fee for root access and developer privileges like MS offers... Everything would work so much more smoothly if we were all working together instead of against each other...

tim

[steve-z17]

Hopefully Apple's not stirring anything new up to make things difficult for us!

[Rob2G]

If apple kills the jailbreak they hurt their bottom line, ALOT of people buy iphones to jailbreak and unlock them.

[BenderRodriguez]

Fine. Have it your way. Lol.

I have to restore 4.1 on miphone, something from cydia is causing issues(folder enhancer I think). Thankfully pwnage tool rebalances my consumer rights in 10 minutes.

Couldnt you just use SBSettings-> More-> Mobile Substrate Addons to find the problem then reenable it ben uninstall it?

[C1oud9]

Does this mean jailbreaks will be developed quicker?

[Rob2G]

Couldnt you just use SBSettings-> More-> Mobile Substrate Addons to find the problem then reenable it ben uninstall it?

Yeah I could of, If I wasnt a dumb *** and actually got some sleep before making decisions about restoring my phone.

[chris-tt]

If apple kills the jailbreak they hurt their bottom line, ALOT of people buy iphones to jailbreak and unlock them.

Yeah exactly, without jailbreaking Apples iphone would never have been half as successful. They probably would have never come up with the idea for the AppStore or half the OS tweaks we love today.
If I knew for a fact I could never jailbreak the next gen of iphones I would move over to an open platform phone as I know a lot of people would.

All of my friends who I have convinced to purchase iPhones (around 10) have done so because I've shown them what you can do with a jailbroken iPhone. They considered them in the past but didn't see what was so special about the phone until I demonstrated how useful it was after jailbreaking.

At the end of the day less than 10% jailbreak, Apple would lose at least 60% of these customers if they found a way to keep people in jail permanently. They would also lose the benefit of having 10% of there customers willingly beta test new ideas that they didn't even think up, but often end up in the next iOS release.

[vantheman169]

If apple kills the jailbreak they hurt their bottom line, ALOT of people buy iphones to jailbreak and unlock them.

Actually thats where your wrong, most people don't jailbreak their devices. Jailbreakers are a very small portion of the iDevice community. As many iPhones that are out there i read somewhere that less than 10% of iphone users jailbreak so this statement is not true at all.

What Percentage of iPhones Are Jailbroken? Less Than 10 Percent? | iSource

Yeah exactly, without jailbreaking Apples iphone would never have been half as successful. They probably would have never come up with the idea for the AppStore or half the OS tweaks we love today.
If I knew for a fact I could never jailbreak the next gen of iphones I would move over to an open platform phone as I know a lot of people would.

All of my friends who I have convinced to purchase iPhones (around 10) have done so because I've shown them what you can do with a jailbroken iPhone. They considered them in the past but didn't see what was so special about the phone until I demonstrated how useful it was after jailbreaking.

At the end of the day less than 10% jailbreak, Apple would lose at least 60% of these customers if they found a way to keep people in jail permanently. They would also lose the benefit of having 10% of there customers willingly beta test new ideas that they didn't even think up, but often end up in the next iOS release.

Thats why we jailbreak so we can do the things we want on iDevices, but you ask the average iPhone user and most of them have never even heard of jailbreaking and/or dont want to cuz they think its unsafe and messes up their device.

[exNavy]

"have been playing a game of cat and mouse ever since the App Store was first introduced in 2008. "


Maybe that's when you first purchased an iphone and jailbroke it, many of us have been playing cat and mouse since June of 2007.

[BenderRodriguez]

Actually thats where your wrong, most people don't jailbreak their devices. Jailbreakers are a very small portion of the iDevice community. As many iPhones that are out there i read somewhere that less than 10% of iphone users jailbreak so this statement is not true at all.

What Percentage of iPhones Are Jailbroken? Less Than 10 Percent? | iSource



Thats why we jailbreak so we can do the things we want on iDevices, but you ask the average iPhone user and most of them have never even heard of jailbreaking and/or dont want to cuz they think its unsafe and messes up their device.

Well if that's true about the 10% then why does apple even care if jailbreak I'm telling you it has to be higher then 10% by now

[vantheman169]

Well if that's true about the 10% then why does apple even care if jailbreak I'm telling you it has to be higher then 10% by now

here is another one just saying. There are a lot more people with iphones than you or i know. Of course everybody i know has a jailbroken iphone cuz i tell them how to do it and encourage them to do it, but if it were not for me telling them about it, they had never heard of it.

Jailbroken stats: Recent survey suggests 8.43% of iPhone users jailbreak | iPhonefreak

[tudtran]

This made me like Apple even more. Be less of a control freak.

[LearningMan]

If there's a will there's a way.

I love it when I see the cheer boys say things like this. Tell the DTV and Dish guys that. It CAN be locked. Believing anything any differently simply shows a lack of knowledge on the subject matter.

[iNT3Rv3NTiONZz]

Jailbreaking is an old term, we should call it Consumer Rights Rebalancing.

Lol tell that to Steve jobs!