Erica Sudan @ Tuaw had announced couple of days back that iPhone hackers have been able to jailbreak iPhone firmware 1.1.1. We then got news that iPhone hacker asap18 has managed to port several unauthorized third-party iPhone applications to firmware 1.1.1 and they were also reported to be working fine.
However, if all that has not convinced you, the reliable Ryan Block @ Engadget who had accepted the invitation from iPhone hacker Niacin to test out their new v1.1.1 file system hack has just reported that he has file system read+write access via the TIFF exploit, thus confirming that the jailbreak works.
Update:
iPhone hackers over @ toc2rta have just released the jailbreak that combines the symlink hack with a TIFF vulnerability found in the iPhone v1.1.1 firmware’s mobile Safari. However, it is currently advicable to WAIT before proceeding to jailbreak your iPhone. For more details read the update after the jump.
When Erica Sudan announced about the breakthrough with regards to jailbreaking the iPhone firmware 1.1.1 she had not provided much details on how it was done to conclude if the two milestones i.e. that were achieved by the iPhone hacking community over the weekend had anything to do with this.
However we now have some more details, hacker Niacin (aka toc2rta) of PSP and MSN TV Linux cluster hacks fame and Dre have claimed that they have managed to combine the symlink hack with a TIFF vulnerability found in the iPhone v1.1.1 firmware’s mobile Safari, which grants access to the file system.
Ryan Block tested this hack on his iPod Touch (explanation on why iPod Touch and not iPhone a little later) and has confirmed that it works. This is what he had to say:
"we can confirm file system read+write access via the TIFF exploit on an iPod touch, meaning loading a simple image file on your v1.1.1 device gives full root file system access!".
However, they are also reporting that the hacking process wasn’t very smooth and had hit some issues like unexpectedly losing read and write access.
The hack hasn’t been released to the public yet though Niacin has claimed that they plan to release the complete exploit into one tiff very soon (could happen today as well) probably after fixing some of the bugs that have been observed so far to make the process as smooth as possible.
If you are wondering why an iPod Touch and not an iPhone, it should not make a difference in the effect with the latest firmware upgrade technically they are not different so should work on an iPhone as well. In fact Niacin has claimed that the hack works on both iPod touch as well as iPhone firmware 1.1.1.
In case you are interested in beta testing the jailbreak hack then log-on to Niacin IRC server irc.toc2rta.com #iphone or #itouch.
As always thanks DistortedLoop for the tip!
Update:
iPhone hackers over @ toc2rta (not part of the iPhone Dev team) have just released the jailbreak that combines the symlink hack with a TIFF vulnerability found in the iPhone v1.1.1 firmware’s mobile Safari.
The reasons for asking you to wait before proceeding to jailbreak your iPhone (iPod Touch) running on firmware 1.1.1 is for the following reasons:
- Apparently after jailbreaking your iPhone (iPod Touch) using this method you will not be able to sync any data with iTunes. (There is a workaround but you need to ask yourself if it is worth it?)
- Apple will more than likely to fix this vulnerability with the next firmware update v1.1.2 or later.
- This is strictly for the technically inclined as it requires you to use IPHUC, the command line utility, which requires you to have at least basic linux command line knowledge.
For all those up to the challenge and prepared to take the risk, here is the link to toc2rta website which has the instructions on how to jailbreak your iPhone but do not hold us responsible if it damages or bricks your iPhone (or iPod Touch).
Related Posts:
To catch up on the developments on the hacking front post iPhone firmware 1.1.1 read the articles below in chronological order:
Firmware 1.1.1: iPhone Hacking Progress report on Jailbreaking the iPhone
iPhone Hackers have been able to Jailbreak iPhone firmware 1.1.1
Several Third-Party iPhone Hacks and Apps ported to iPhone 1.1.1 and working fine
iPhone Firmware 1.1.1: Multi-Page SpringBoard Hack
[via Engadget and Toc2rta]
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