Topics: Mobile

Apple Finds New Way To Block 'Pwning' iPhones: The MacBook

Posted by Eric Zeman, Nov 4, 2008 09:59 AM

Every time Apple updates the iPhone's firmware, hackers find another way to crack it. Rather than adjust the software on the iPhone, Apple is employing a new tactic. User reports suggest that the Pwnage tool itself will not run properly on the new Apple MacBooks and MacBook Pros.

Ah, sneaky Apple. No one expected this move. Just yesterday the iPhone Dev Team announced that it has cracked iPhone firmware 2.2, which isn't even available to the general population yet. It may not matter.

HowardForums users are reporting a new problem. They are having difficulty running the Pwnage tool on Apple's new MacBooks. The problem appears to be that the MacBooks aren't recognizing the iPhone (nor the iPod Touch) when it is booted in the DFU mode, which is absolutely required for jailbreaking iPhones.

According to Gizmodo, "the tool still runs, and users who have a pre-modified firmware created on another Mac or Windows machine are able to 'restore' their devices to a jailbroken state without any trouble. It's the creation of modified firmware, which is the central purpose of the Pwnage tool, that has been kneecapped."

Suspicion points to the new version of iTunes that is available specifically for the new MacBooks as the cause of this new problem. Whatever the cause, it appears that Apple will try new tricks to thwart the likes of the iPhone Dev Team and those interested in jailbreaking their iPhones.

The question is, can the iPhone Dev Team modify iTunes or other software on the MacBooks themselves to combat the new roadblock?

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