Article: 10-Year Old Hacker Demos iOS and Android Exploit at DefCon

**Phillip Swanson** · 08-08-2011, 04:32 PM

A 10-year old hacker, going by the name of CyFi, demonstrated an iOS and Android hack to the DefCon Kids section of the conference today.

The exploit is exceedingly simple, and leave it to a 10-year old to figure it out. CyFi was sick of waiting for her crops to grow in an unnamed game (*cough*farmville*cough*). Being a kid, and by nature impatient, she set the clock forward on her iPhone and presto her crops were already grown!

Manipulating time in games is nothing new, and many developers have coded against such an exploit. However, CyFi discovered disconnecting the phone from wi-fi and making smaller incremental time adjustments circumvented most blockades.

To top it off CyFi is "an artist who has performed an improvised, 10-minute-long spoken word piece in front of 1,000 people at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, a Girl Scout, and a state-ranked downhill skier." What doesn't this girl do?

Source: CNET

**SwatPac** · 08-08-2011, 05:24 PM

Pretty cool, although it doesn't seem like a "hack" to me. I would label this a "glitch" or "cheat".

**Mysterion** · 08-08-2011, 05:42 PM

CyFi untethered jailbroke iPhone 4s on 4.2.9/4.2.10/4.3.4/4.3.5??? I wish

**Vince** · 08-08-2011, 06:17 PM

Only notable because she is 10. This is stupid.

**Delerowen** · 08-08-2011, 06:19 PM

Originally Posted by SwatPac

Pretty cool, although it doesn't seem like a "hack" to me. I would label this a "glitch" or "cheat".

Its essentially the same thing. Using something outside of the game to cheat your way to victory or faster crops. A simple google search reveals other games that use the same exploit.

**fatherq** · 08-08-2011, 06:23 PM

Originally Posted by Vince

Only notable because she is 10. This is stupid.

wonder what were you doing when you were 10..

**RICO_** · 08-08-2011, 06:43 PM

Two things.....

(1). Is she really a hacker or did she just try to cheat by doing the time change and it just happened to work?

(2). Is this an iOS-based problem or a problem with the game itself?

**tudtran** · 08-08-2011, 06:48 PM

Made me feel bad about myself.

Originally Posted by SwatPac

Pretty cool, although it doesn't seem like a "hack" to me. I would label this a "glitch" or "cheat".

Why is a "glitch" or "cheat" is not a "hack"???????????????

**PathKiller29** · 08-08-2011, 06:53 PM

what blockades?

**mmaboi21** · 08-08-2011, 07:03 PM

Relax guys, this article is just simply pointing out the fact that this girl is 10 years old and was able to hack/glitch/cheat(whatever you'd like to call it) and get what she wanted out of her game.

**Bassvictim** · 08-08-2011, 07:06 PM

She's 10, and figured out how to do it. That's the point. Don't bad mouth her because you couldn't figure it out. Whether it be a cheat, glitch, or hack - it doesn't matter. When she gets a little older,ad a little more "experienced and educated" in the hacking world - she will be pulling off some pretty amazing feats, I'm sure.

**whereswaldo** · 08-08-2011, 07:07 PM

Shouldn't she be listining to Justin Bieber?

Originally Posted by SwatPac

Pretty cool, although it doesn't seem like a "hack" to me. I would label this a "glitch" or "cheat".

+1

**Wolftamer** · 08-08-2011, 07:28 PM

all hacks are, in theory, nothing more than exploitations of glitches though.

**bstunt10190** · 08-08-2011, 07:38 PM

Originally Posted by Wolftamer

all hacks are, in theory, nothing more than exploitations of glitches though.

dont you dare get all philosophical on me

**R.Mortera** · 08-08-2011, 08:14 PM

Fawken kids these days -.-

**RICO_** · 08-08-2011, 08:34 PM

Originally Posted by Phillip Swanson

What doesn't this girl do?

Apparently she doesn't play games the way they were intended to be played. So basically PATIENCE is what she doesn't do.

**reanimationxp** · 08-08-2011, 08:47 PM

Call me when she has an exploit, not a cute scriptkiddie gimmick. Thanks for the bait and switch article. Maybe you should go to defcon and learn what an exploit actually is..

**raduga** · 08-08-2011, 09:03 PM

Originally Posted by RICO_

Apparently she doesn't play games the way they were intended to be played. So basically PATIENCE is what she doesn't do.

She may not be a hacker, but she already embodies two of the three principal virtues of a programmer,
and "using computers in ways they were not intended" is the garden path from which all hackery springs.

**vantheman169** · 08-08-2011, 09:49 PM

Originally Posted by raduga

She may not be a hacker, but she already embodies two of the three principal virtues of a programmer,
and "using computers in ways they were not intended" is the garden path from which all hackery springs.

+1 Well put, also very true.

**korbyn8495** · 08-08-2011, 11:03 PM

Reminds me of the 'exploit' that people use to keep their iTunes rentals forever (which I believe still works) rent a movie, set your years on the computer's clock back, and keep the rental 'forever'

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Thread: Article: 10-Year Old Hacker Demos iOS and Android Exploit at DefCon

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A 10-year old hacker, going by the name of CyFi, demonstrated an iOS and Android hack to the DefCon Kids section of the conference today. The exploit is exceedingly simple,