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Apple Releases iOS 4.0.2 and Fixes PDF Vulnerability In iPhone 4

Categories: Apple, iOS / iPhone OS, iPhone
By: , IntoMobile
Wednesday, August 11th, 2010 at 1:39 PM
iOS-update

Apple has finally fixed up that funny little bug in iOS 4 that allowed web-based jailbreaking of the iPhone via Safari – the JailbreakMe.com jailbreak website that allowed iPhone 4 users to get in on the jailbreak and unlock action. The flaw that allowed this to happen was apparently caused by a PDF rendering bug which allowed websites to trick the iPhone Safari browser into giving access to the depths of iOS 4, and some ne’er-do-wells even popped into Apple stores just to drive home the point. With iOS 4.0.2, the problem has been solved by Cupertino’s geekiest so that our iPhones and other iOS devices are safe.

It turns out it wasn’t just a flaw that provided a jailbreaking trick, but it also posed more serious security problems. There is a good side and bad side to all this, according to MobileCrunch:

“No crazy hackers stealin your databytes after you accidentally click on a seemingly harmless PDF. The bad news? One-click, browser-based jailbreaking (the only kind that has been made public so far for the iPhone 4 and any device running iOS 4) is a done deal for now.”

For those of you still thinking about jailbreaking your iPhone 4, we suggest you check out our JailbreakMe.com story and do what you need to do to your handset before updating to this latest iOS 4.0.2 update.

Life is full of trade-offs, but this is one I’d happily take so that communist spies can’t hack my phone, steal my data and use it against me as part of a plot for global domination. Until a safer, better jailbreak comes along, I’ll take smartphone security for now, thank you very much.

[Via: MobileCrunch]

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About The Author

Marc Flores

Marc has been a mobile fanatic for the better part of a decade and has had more devices pass through his hands than he would care to count. Originally from Los Angeles and briefly in San Francisco, Marc now lives in Brooklyn where, unlike Will Park, he longs for simpler times and simpler technology. All the while, he writes about gadgets and wireless technology as he tinkers, hacks and ultimately breaks most of his gadgets in the process. Marc has written about the mobile industry for Boy Genius Report, MobileCrunch, Laptop Magazine and has had his work appear in the Wall Street Journal, Gizmodo, CrunchGear and more.

  • Nick

    Apple should worry more about the antenna problem and less about jailbreaking

  • Meena Chandar

    i have a jailbroken iphone4. i did a carrier unlock as well. will this update lock the carrier back to AT&T

  • HyperMatrix

    Ridiculous closing point. "I'll take iPhone security" BS. If you had actually jailbroken your phone and are not inept, you'd know that there is an app on Cydia that blocks the exploit from happening. To go without all the benefits of jailbreaking shows me that you're just a vanilla user who doesn't even know why he bought an iPhone in the first place.

    You're like the paranoid people who have all sorts of anti-spyware, anti-virus, and internet security monitoring software on their computer because they're too stupid to manage and avoid that sort of thing on their own. I have not and will not ever use Anti-Virus, and I've never gotten a virus. Well that's not true. I've had 2 viruses in the last 20 years. Both of which I removed myself with no problems.

  • Happy Vanilla User

    @HyperMatrix

    Get angry much?