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Adrian Kingsley-Hughes
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Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't

By | August 12, 2010, 2:50am PDT

On Wednesday Apple released iOS 4.0.2 firmware for the iPhone and iPod touch and 3.2.2 for the iPad. This update fixes the security exploit that was used by the jailbreakme.com website to jailbreak iDevices. But there’s a catch. While Apple acknowledges the seriousness of the issue, there’s no fix on offer for first-generation iPhone and iPod touch owners. You haven’t spent any money lately, so no patch love for you.

Enter the jailbreaking community.

Coder Jay Freeman, better known as @saurik and the guy behind the Cydia app repository for jailbroken devices, has developed a Cydia package that fixes the security holes for all devices and all firmware versions back to version 2.x.

The package is currently undergoing testing and should be available shortly.

So what should those who’ve jailbroken their iDevices do? Well, first off, don’t upgrade to iOS 4.0.2/3.2.2 unless you want to see that jailbreak removed. Best advice for you guys is to install the “PDF Loading Warner” package from Cydia, take care around strange, unknown and unexpected PDF files, and then wait for the Saurik PDF exploit fix to arrive.

Oh, and as someone who still owns a perfectly functional first-gen iPod touch - thanks Saurik! Oh, and Apple, thanks for nothing …

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Topics

Apple Inc., Adrian Kingsley-Hughes, Firmware

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology.

Disclosure

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

All opinions expressed on Hardware 2.0 are those of Adrian Kingsley-Hughes. Every effort is made to ensure that the information posted is accurate. If you have any comments, queries or corrections, please contact Adrian via the email link here. Any possible conflicts of interest will be posted below. [Updated: February 23, 2010] - Adrian Kingsley-Hughes has no business relationships, affiliations, investments, or other actual/potential conflicts of interest relating to the content posted so far on this blog.

Biography

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes

Adrian Kingsley-Hughes is an internationally published technology author who has devoted over a decade to helping users get the most from technology -- whether that be by learning to program, building a PC from a pile of parts, or helping them get the most from their new MP3 player or digital camera.

Adrian has authored/co-authored technical books on a variety of topics, ranging from programming to building and maintaining PCs. His most recent books include "Build the Ultimate Custom PC", "Beginning Programming" and "The PC Doctor's Fix It Yourself Guide". He has also written training manuals that have been used by a number of Fortune 500 companies.

Adrian also runs a popular blog under the name The PC Doctor, where he covers a range of computer-related topics -- from security to repairing and upgrading.

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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
Zc456 16th Aug 2010
@BusterB Your talking about Windows 98!!! The iPhone itself isn't even 5 years old. Yesh, even HTC provides longer support for their devices, and they spit them out almost every month.
View in thread
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Nokia: Engineering, the way 'it should be'.
Dietrich T. Schmitz, ~ Your Linux Advocate 12th Aug 2010
o Phones should be open to anything
o The best devices have no limits

Get a real smartphone: Nokia
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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
Marcos El Malo 12th Aug 2010
@Dietrich T. Schmitz, Your Linux Advocate

The guy that plays you is wickedly funny. This time especially.
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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
bobiroc 12th Aug 2010
@Marcos El Malo

You are better off just ignoring him. He spouts out pointless drivel just to make himself feel like he is important. I still think it is funny that he says the best devices have no limits and he calls himself a Linux Advocate. There are tons of limits to Linux. Of course Windows, MacOS or any software has limits too because nothing is limitless
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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
Sophlady 12th Aug 2010
Are you daft? The jailbreaking community CAUSES these problems in the first place. Jay Freeman's 'gift' of a fix is just another way to encourage continued jailbreaking. It does not actually prevent the exploit. Merely gives a warning.
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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
Bodazapha 12th Aug 2010
@Sophlady

an exploit that exists - EXISTS regardless of the Jailbreaking community. You should be thanking the J-comm for forcing Apple to be patching the exploits so quickly. And before someone who truly wants to exploit the Exploit for nefarious reasons...

Who's Daft?
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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
ebernet 12th Aug 2010
@Sophlady, you have no clue what you are talking about. Apple was made aware of the exploit because the jailbreak USES the exploit to jailbreak. As part of the jailbreak, as with any and all jailbreak's up to now, after the jailbreak is accomplished, the one thing it does is patch the phone so as the exploit cannot be used again (of course, some code is left in there to allow the jailbreak to recognize and communicate with an already jailbroken phone.
We should be thankful he is releasing the patch for earlier devices. I was wondering how I would fix this for my iPod Touch 1st gen!
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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
saurik 13th Aug 2010
@Sophlady Actually, this patch /fixes/ the exploit. You are confusing this patch with "PDF Loading Warner", which only warns about PDF files. You can verify that the bug is actually fixed because jailbreakme.com will no longer function once this fix is installed: there are no exceptions.
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What about Win98
BusterB 12th Aug 2010
Does Microsoft release security patches for Win98? No? Well, why not!? I guess because I haven't spent any money with them, there's no patch love for me.

Yes, it sounded just as stupid when you said it, Adrian. You may be an 'internationally published author' (in the day and age of the internet, who isn't?), but you still need a good ol' beating with a clue-bat.

This from someone who has spent *three* decades helping users get the most from technology by cleaning up after people like you who got there first.
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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
bobiroc 12th Aug 2010
@BusterB

Huge difference comparing an OS that is 12+ years old and 5 generations older than the current software that probably no one uses anymore to a phone or MP3 player that is only 4 years old running a OS that is only 1 generation old and that probably many people still use daily.
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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
NaderBelaid 12th Aug 2010
@bobiroc
Mobile platform lifespan is not the same as the OS lifespans. They are a lot shorter due to the rapid development of both hardware & software compared to the OS world.
Name me one Mobile platform maker that still keeps patching its platform that is older then 3 years
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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
DeusXMachina 13th Aug 2010
@bobiroc & NaderBelaid
More importantly, it is not important how old Win 98 is (it is NOT 12 years, BTW) but how long ago MS dropped support (also not recently; try 2003!)
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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
ebernet 12th Aug 2010
@BusterB, 3.1.2, which all the current devices support, including ones that were being sold as recently as a year ago, or even for the 3g, which was being sold as recently as 2 months ago and cannot handle 4.x with any kind of fidelity, this patch is essential. Does MSFT release patched for XP SP 3, now 7 years old? Yes. Just because Apple does not add new features to a 2 year old phone, they should at least patch the exploits.
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RE: Jailbreak community patch bugs that Apple won't
Zc456 16th Aug 2010
@BusterB Your talking about Windows 98!!! The iPhone itself isn't even 5 years old. Yesh, even HTC provides longer support for their devices, and they spit them out almost every month.
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PDF Patch for this issue is out
People 12th Aug 2010
Downloaded and installed on my iPad. Thanks Saurik!

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