Hackers Say iPhone 2.0 can be Breached

iPhone hackers seemed to be at the top of their game yesterday, announcing their ability to hack into the Apple’s yet to be released phone software, iPhone 2.0. The iPhone Dev Team announced yesterday that it had successfully worked out a way to break into the bootloader of the iPhone 2.0.

The team announced it was able to do so by making use of the manner in which the iPhone went about authorizing code that can be stored in the memory. By modifying this, a hacker can write any code she or he wants into the memory of the iPhone. The team said it could use this technique to write even code for applications that Apple does not authorize into the iPhone’s memory.

The team said they could spoil the party for newer versions of the software as well. To lend further authenticity to its claim, the team put out a screenshot of external applications that were supposedly running on the software’s beta version. Despite the screenshot, it is not easy to determine the actual version that appears on the screenshot, though one major pointer is the App Store, which shows up in the screenshot.

There is a basic difference between the way the hackers had worked on the earlier versions of the iPhone software and the current version. The current method makes use of the design of the main bootloader. Earlier attempts at hacking were, on the other hand, directed solely at the newer version of firmware.

Talking about the latest hack, members of the iPhone Dev Team said they had had been able to work out a way to stop a specific verification step that was in place earlier to determine if the code for firmware had been certified by RSA before it could be stored into the memory.

Hackers are saying the new technique would also enable a user to unlock the iPhone. They say it would be very difficult for Apple to come up with a solution to the problem even by the time the software is released as a full scale product.

As long as Apple refuses to include in the picture other applications that are in direct disagreement with the aims of the company, the hacking would continue, according to members of the global community of hackers. Besides, for an effective and feasible solution, the company would also have to revisit its policy of one country one carrier.