❗Help close the gap: We still need to raise $40,000 by the end of March. Donate now
Codebreaker

Jailbreak!

John Moe Jul 7, 2011

Today’s scare-the-pants-off-you security item is brought to you by Thin Lizzy. Because it seems that tonight there’s gonna be a jailbreak*. Well, okay actually it happened yesterday. The website jailbreakme.com specializes in cracking the code on iPhones, so they can be used on non-AT&T and Verizon networks, and also to run apps that Apple app store doesn’t approve of. While breaking into the current version of Apple’s iOS, the jailbreakers also exposed a security flaw. Experts say it will only be a matter of days before malicious hackers can write a code to exploit the flaw and potentially run amok with your phone. Apple, for its part, says it’s aware of the problem and is fixing it. Humorously, Apple still has a policy against people jailbreaking their phones.

  • Logic of that song that should bother you: the lyrics state that “tonight there’s gonna be a jailbreak / somewhere in this town.” Now, I’m not sure exactly of the geography of the town Phil Lynott is talking about here but I suspect that the jailbreak will be happening AT THE JAIL.

There’s a lot happening in the world.  Through it all, Marketplace is here for you. 

You rely on Marketplace to break down the world’s events and tell you how it affects you in a fact-based, approachable way. We rely on your financial support to keep making that possible. 

Your donation today powers the independent journalism that you rely on. For just $5/month, you can help sustain Marketplace so we can keep reporting on the things that matter to you.