The jailbreak scene for Apple’s iOS devices was always surrounded by an air of mystery and uncertainty. After all, the whole procedure relies on unofficial tools released against Apple’s wishes, circumventing the protections of the operating system to achieve things which the company specifically wants to block. There have been various reports about hacking scandals and other similar issues surrounding the jailbreak scene, and it seems like a month doesn’t go by without some major revelation in this regard.
Just now, Pangu’s jailbreak tool for iOS 9.3.3 has been hit with allegations of compromising the security of users’ computers. The situation is still developing, and as usual in these cases there are many unknowns, but there are reports coming in from multiple sides claiming that something fishy is going on with the tool.
People have already noticed some differences between this tool and previous editions of Pangu’s kits, as the 9.3.3 version was a bit more difficult to use and not as straightforward as its predecessors. At the same time, nobody noticed any potential security issues in the beginning, so people assumed that nothing had changed behind the scenes.
It didn’t take long for reports to start rolling in, with users claiming that their accounts for various services had been compromised shortly after jailbreaking their devices. The services mentioned included Facebook, PayPal, as well as various payment instruments and other more private types of accounts. Needless to say, the situation seems quite serious, and users who have downloaded and/or executed the tool are advised to take extra caution in managing their online accounts.
The situation is still developing, and people are trying to figure out what exactly is going on. As some have pointed out, the number of affected users seems suspiciously small for something that’s allegedly a large-scale attack. At least compared to the number of people who should have downloaded the jailbreak tool itself, it seems like there is a peculiar discrepancy. On the other hand, it’s also possible that not everyone affected by the issue is reporting their problems online. In fact, that’s a very likely contributor to the whole confusion going on right now.
Apple, as usual, don’t have much to say on the situation. This is far from the first time we’re seeing an issue like this, and Apple have already made various comments about their stance on jailbreaking. The company sees the security of iOS as something very delicate, and they treat it as absolutely mandatory that they are given final authority over everything that goes on in users’ phones. While this does limit the freedom of users significantly, it does also go a long way towards preventing attacks on the operating system, and keeping everyone safe. Something which Apple admittedly do have a strong track record with so far, even given incidents like the current one with the Pangu jailbreak tool.
That’s why Apple are so active in their battle against jailbreak developers as well. People have been constantly critical of the company’s heavy-handed approach to this situation, claiming that users should at least be allowed to do what they want with their own devices. But as we clearly see, the problem goes beyond that, and more into the realm of what other people can do with the devices of unsuspecting, gullible users. Without a tight grip on the situation, hackers are given a lot of freedom to exploit thousands of iPhones for their own malicious purposes.