Apple remote delete apps - blocked?

[Fred79]

Hi guys,

I'm not really sure where this question belongs, but I'm looking to get a little feedback on something.

I changed my default root login password from alpine to something with a little more security. I read that apple confirmed it had a "remote kill switch" to disable malicious apps that were on iphones.

The only way I can see this working is if apple runs sort of script with root access to delete files. But since the iphone is running BSD and is subject to the rules of such an OS, if I change the root password, could Apple still "remote kill" something?

I then found that the "remote kill switch" is really not a remote file delete, but more of a script that prevents "blacklisted" apps from accessing core services to gain personal information.
iPhone hacker says the device 'calls home' to Apple, allows apps to be remotely disabled

Further investigation seemed to indicate that the "Remote kill" that is really a "blacklist checker" is really just blocking the program from using core location.
Daring Fireball: It's a Core Location Blacklist

What this seems to mean is that an app can still run, even if it is blacklisted but wont have access to positioning services (like compass, gps, and maybe 3g or wifi?).

My question is, if an app has no access to core location, can it access the internet still?

[cpjr]

Dont really understand where your going with this....but...

A) Changing your password from alpine is ONLY for SSHing into your phone and has nothing at all to do with Apple being able to access it - 2 totally different things.

B) If your that worried about it, you can disable the "Apple Kill Switch" using SBsettings with one click.

[Fred79]

Thanks,

I disabled the "remote kill switch" in my sbsettings. I just found it under More and Options. It was on by default, but now its off.

You aren't sure where I'm going with this? I stated it verbatim in the last line of the post: if an app has no access to core location services (including finding its location via wifi) can it access the internet? - the point is mute though, since I've turned off the check to the blacklist, so I wont have to worry about it.

However, its not that I'm really worried about it, but while you say I've only changed the password for SSH, that is only a half truth.
I changed the password for the root user, the administrator, of the operating system. This effects SSH, but also all other interactions with/through/by root. If I use mobileterminal and want to delete a protected file, I switch to root (with the su command) and enter the new root password. If someone else wants to delete the file, they could login as root, but only if they know the password. Apple set a global (all iphones) root password of alpine, but once an individual changes its root password, you can't use the root account anymore.
The root account password is different now, across the whole iphone OS. While most iphone users will only see this as effecting SSH, it really affects everything. the i"phone" is really a computer, running an operating system, with user accounts etc that most people never see. To them it is just a phone. To some, mostly the jailbreak community, they only see these things tangentially, such as logging in via SSH to tweak some settings.

But be certain, it isn't just SSH that is affected by this.