The Electronic Frontier Foundation is requesting the Copyright Office legalize the practice of jailbreaking, iPhones of course. Apple has responded in comments suggesting the nation’s cellphone networks could suffer potentially catastrophic cyberattacks by hackers using jailbroken iPhones. Jailbreaking, according to Apple, could allow hackers access to the iPhone’s BBP or baseband processor software. Apple puts forth that tinkering with the code, an international hacker could initiate denial of service attacks that could crash cellphone tower software. Direct quotes from Apple regarding the situation follow:
“…a local or international hacker could potentially initiate commands (such as a denial of service attack) that could crash the tower software, rendering the tower entirely inoperable to process calls or transmit data.”
“Taking control of the BBP software would be much the equivalent of getting inside the firewall of a corporate computer — to potentially catastrophic result.”
“The technological protection measures were designed into the iPhone precisely to prevent these kinds of pernicious activities, and if granted, the jailbreaking exemption would open the door to them.”
David Kravets of Wired’s Threat Level sums it best, “Threat Level had no idea the iPhone was so dangerous. We’re gratified that Apple locked down this potential weapon of mass disruption before hackers could unleash cybarmageddon.”
While Apple is busy guarding the iPhone against jailbreakers, they seem uninterested in fixing a bug that could virally infect iPhones worldwide.
[via Wired]
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Hi, my name is FEAR. I want to infect everyone with my unfounded, unscientific, panic-based emotion so they will inevitably never have peace and always stay on the offensive. I have America by the short hairs and also Apple with this latest press release statement of corporate technobabblistic drivel!