Tag Archives: Hack

Rumor: Alleged Apple Hack Didn’t Steal Any iTunes Data

Posted on July 4, 2011 by Dave



Despite some rather alarming headlines over the past day or two which suggested that Apple was on the receiving end of a hack, all is not lost. Alarmist reports from certain sources suggested that data held in MobileMe and iCloud was compromised by hackers including iTunes accounts and credit card details, injecting some rather needless worry into the US July 4th weekend celebrations.  However, as Philip Elmer-Dewitt from Fortune points out, the customer information that Apple holds for its customers remains perfectly safe.

The information that was released apparently relates to a survey section on the Apple Business Intelligence website and was comprised of 27 user names and passwords, none of which related to personal data or iTunes accounts.
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Apple Issues Security Update For Snow Leopard To Remove MacDefender Software

Posted on May 31, 2011 by Lily



Apple has just released a software security update for OS X 10.6.7 Snow Leopard which will scan Mac systems for the MacDefender malware software and remove all traces of it. The security update (2011-003) was originally expected to be part of OS X 10.6.8 which was recently seeded to developers but Apple has obviously pushed it out early to deal with the problem. The information on the security update can be found here.

“Security Update 2011-003 provides additional protection by checking for the MacDefender malware and its known variants. If MacDefender malware is found, the system will quit this malware, delete any persistent files, and correct any modifications made to configuration or login files.”

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Hacked iPhones Can Reveal Passwords In Six Minutes

Posted on February 10, 2011 by Chris


German technology experts have managed to demonstrate hacking of any iPhone, bypassing the iPhone passcode and gaining access to the passwords stored within the iOS Keychain, all within 6 minutes. PC World is reporting that an existing exploit can be used to gain access to the iPhone even when the user has enabled the passcode, which apparently controls access to the handset itself rather than encrypting data contents within the iPhone.

The procedure requires that the would-be hacker actually have physical possession of the iPhone as the hack cannot be accomplished by accessing the handset remotely through a hijacked Wi-Fi, 3G or Bluetooth connection.  This could obviously be accomplished if an iPhone is lost or stolen and finds its way into the wrong hands.  The hacker jailbreaks the iPhone, installs an SSH server and then uses a Keychain script to access the data. Once the hack is performed, details of usernames and passwords for e-mail accounts, VPN codes and even app passwords such as those used to access banking websites.
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iOS Users May Need MalWare And Virus Protection In 2011

Posted on January 17, 2011 by Dave



Users of iOS devices including iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch may need improved virus protection in 2011 as the popularity of the Apple devices sets them up as targets for hackers and attacks from unscrupulous sources.  Security firms Stonesoft and MacAfee have both provided gloomy forecasts for 2011 that include increased malware on iOS devices due to exponential increases in their popularity and complexity over the past few years (via DigitalTrends).

Apple has previously enjoyed a relative lack of susceptibility to trojans, malware and viruses in the desktop computer market in the past, partly due to the fact that it has occupied a lower market share and partly due to well-designed and secure software.  However, the security firms forecast an increase in the potential for attackers to try to gain access to personal data in smartphone devices via more sophisticated hacking methods.  The iPhone is no more susceptible than any other type of smartphone, in fact some say it is more resistant to hacks, but its popularity makes it an especially enticing target for hackers.
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Apple Slowly Starting To Accept The Jailbreak?

Posted on December 11, 2010 by Chris



Reports are suggesting that Apple has removed the API interface that detects if an iOS device has been jailbroken in the latest version of the iOS software, 4.2.  The original API appeared in iOS 4.0 but appears to have been taken out of the latest software.

Apple has traditionally been staunchly against jailbreaking from the very start, stating that users who do jailbreak immediately void the warranty for their Apple devices.  When the US Government ruled that users were legally entitled to jailbreak their devices, Apple still maintained that they would not provide support for issues on jailbroken phones in their stores.   Continue reading →

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Apple TV JailBreak Features Gaining Momentum

Posted on November 28, 2010 by Dave



The new Apple TV, while offering a boatload of cool features right out of the box, has been the subject of some avid attention by jailbreakers looking to unleash the full functionality of the device. It is being reported by 9to5Mac that live TV can now be streamed to a jailbroken Apple TV from an iPad via a hack which modifies AirPlay.

The process of jailbreaking the Apple TV has been an interesting affair.  Last month we reported that the developer p0sixninja had managed to successfully install greenpois0n, software that can be used to ‘inject’ third party apps on to the device. Continue reading →

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iPhone Bug Allowing Access To Locked Phone Gets Attention

Posted on October 26, 2010 by Lucy



A problem glitch in the iPhone software (iOS version 4.1) is allowing unauthorized users to gain access to some functions in the iPhone even when it has been locked using a four digit numeric code (via MacRumors).

Once the bypass is performed (by making an emergency call to a non-emergency number like ### and immediately pressing the lock key), users can access user data including contacts, call histories and voicemails.  In this state, the iPhone is capable of displaying this information but the majority of the other iPhone functions remain unavailable. Continue reading →

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Apple TV Jailbreak Shown

Posted on October 20, 2010 by Dave


A screenshot of a new jailbroken Apple TV has been revealed by developer p0sixninja showing that the device can be jailbroken in much the same way as the first generation Apple TV.

The tweeted image (shown above) has the menu option ‘inject software’ which, when the jailbreak becomes available for public use, can be used for software.  Unfortunately, that may still be some time off as the new Apple TV still requires launcher software before it can run native iOS apps.  Additionally, the new jailbreak has not gone public yet, but this screenshot very nicely shows that work is progressing. Continue reading →

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Apple TV Jailbreak Released This Sunday?

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Chris


The release date for the Apple TV jailbreak is this Sunday, 10th October.

An exciting piece of news today indicates that, precluding any problems or issues before the weekend, a jailbreak for iOS4.1 will be released to the public by the Dev Team at 10:10 and 10 seconds on the morning of Sunday October 10th.

Apparently the jailbreak is called GreenPoison and not much is known about it other than that it uses the SHAtter exploit which has been talked about earlier this week.

While this is a jailbreak for iOS4.1 it’s not clear at this stage if the jailbreak simply allows users to gain access to the root area or Continue reading →

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Apple TV Jailbreak: How Long Until It Appears?

Posted on October 6, 2010 by Mark



There have been two big steps forward in the past week in the race to get a public jailbreak issued for the new Apple TV device which only actually reached eager customers hands in the past few days.

The first piece of news is that it has now emerged that the device runs a modified form of the iOS software found in iPhones, iPads and iPods but built with a dramatically different user interface to reflect the UI in the previous version of the Apple TV. The second interesting move forward is that it has been found that iOS compatible apps can be installed on the Apple TV without too many problems. The hitch comes down to the fact that there is no native launcher present in the iOS software on the Apple TV.

This is the predominant limiting factor in the public release of a jailbreak. Continue reading →

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