AfterDawn: News

Hackers attempt to reverse iPhone update effects

Hackers of Apple Inc.'s iPhone are making progress in reversing the effects the iPhone v1.1.1 firmware update had on unlocked or hacked models. Apple fought back against hacking by disabling phones that were unlocked from the tie with AT&T with a firmware update. Now hackers are posting instructions on how to reverse back some of the effects, but getting a model to make phone calls again has not yet happened.

The iPhone Dev Wiki has posted instructions on how to regain the use of the iPhone's iPod functionalities and WiFi capabilities, but the race is still on to find a solution to use the device as an actual mobile phone again. Hackers need to find a way to roll back firmware of the iPhone's baseband chip, which is used to make calls.



"So far all attempts to downgrade the baseband have been unsuccessful," the Wiki said. "There have been several reports of successful baseband downgrades online, but these haven't been confirmed." Of course, rolling back is not the only option, and the race is also on to find a method to unlock iPhones with v1.1.1 firmware installed.

Tom Ferris, a security researcher who works on hacking the iPhone, said that due to tougher encryption of the iPhone firmware, it is going to be harder this time to hack the device. "That's what everybody's working on right now is trying to get into the firmware," he said. "Just like Steve Jobs said, it's a cat and mouse game."

Apple Inc. has recently been the subject of a lawsuit that primarily targets the $200 iPhone price drop but also names AT&T due to the lock it has on the iPhone in the United States. The world's largest handset maker, Nokia, has sent out some cryptic posters that ridicule the provider lock being enforced by the iPhone maker.

Source:
PC World

Written by: James Delahunty @ 3 Oct 2007 5:18

• Previous article

• Toshiba aims for 30-inch OLED by 2009

• Next article

• Cyberlink announces Power2Go 6

• 16 comments

• mystic

  at this point Verison annoused new phone that will put the iphone to shame also LG also has news phones coming out that are 10 times better ... so at this point the choice will be play with a phone thats broken(hacked) or wait and buy a good one like the LG Voyager features a large touch screen, a camera and extensive multimedia, Web browsing and e-mail capabilities.or wait for the LG phone called the Venus. It has two screens on its face, of which the smaller is touch sensitive, with controls for the phone's music player and camera. The phone slides open to reveal a numeric keypad. hey at this stage of the game apple just pissed off alot of people who payed to much then the 4gb phone got dumped then they lowered the price then they nailed the update ...why stick with them at all... its time to move on.......sorry apple you left a sour taste in our mouths....

  3.10.2007 05:56 #1

• Bucknekid

  I am not a iPhone user but the part I can't understand is how the parent companies can control what you do after you have BOUGHT AND PAID for the item. It is like the piece I read (Don't know if it was here or somewhere else) about the cars and having to use a certain gas station. This is just getting to crazy with everyone trying to control things. What is next? I buy a new DVD and I only bought the "5 viewing license" does it self destruct the 6th time I shove it in my DVD player?

  3.10.2007 06:20 #2

• c1c

  why do they care about these hackers and what they are doing? I'm sure that these hackers probably make up less than 1% of all iPhone users. The average Joe uses it like everyone else on this planet, for what it is made for.

  3.10.2007 06:55 #3

• chaos_zzz

  hackers care more for people than apple, they put their effort to make things work again but apple just don't give a :) .
  disabling phones is lame that shows apple doesn't care about the costumers so some iphone were hacked what's the big deal just let it go, this shows up how bad media is

  3.10.2007 08:38 #4

• nanu-nanu

  Was the firmware that disabled mandatory? Was there a way not to get the firmware update?

  3.10.2007 09:22 #5

• jetyi83

  Originally posted by c1c: why do they care about these hackers and what they are doing? I'm sure that these hackers probably make up less than 1% of all iPhone users. The average Joe uses it like everyone else on this planet, for what it is made for.youre out of touch. its a much larger percentage than that, and growing fast.
  
  but i do agree that apple is stupid. I just hope a new phone comes out and destroys the iphone in every way.

  3.10.2007 09:41 #6

• simpsim1

  Apple are probably more concerned with their contract with AT&T than the fact that their firmware is getting hacked. They have probably gained extortionate sums of money for giving AT&T the exclusive contract and are probably being leant on to honour it. Having people circumvent a device to actually do what the public want it to do rather than what they're told it must do is likely to be a big no-no with AT&T. Sounds a lot like what's happened with the Sony PSP and homebrew software.

  3.10.2007 12:32 #7

• fgamer

  Originally posted by simpsim1: Apple are probably more concerned with their contract with AT&T than the fact that their firmware is getting hacked. They have probably gained extortionate sums of money for giving AT&T the exclusive contract and are probably being leant on to honour it. Having people circumvent a device to actually do what the public want it to do rather than what they're told it must do is likely to be a big no-no with AT&T. Sounds a lot like what's happened with the Sony PSP and homebrew software.
  
  Yea i agree with you, it's pretty obvious that AT&T has a contract with Apple. So therefore it's kinda Apple's duty to secure the terms of the contract between them and AT&T by not allowing people to unlock their phone. So to a sense I can understand why they would be so concerned about the unlocking of the iphone. It's pretty much in Apple's benefit to secure their product from being hacked..that way more companys will go in bed with Apple and throw plenty of money at them if they feel that Apple is willing to go far and beyond to protect any agreement that they establish.

  3.10.2007 21:43 #8

• deadlove

  A US phone owner gave me a little snippet of information a few months ago that may be relevant (or may not depending on the terms of the service contract)
  
  Apparently in the states you buy a service contract for whatever period, and you also pay for your phone.. you buy it.. it is yours.
  
  After 1 month you have the right to cancel your service contract with whatever provider it is and change... As the phone is yours you also have the right to get it unlocked or realistically do whatever you want with it.
  
  If that is the case, and this software update had damaged the property of people who have legally changed suppliers and modified their property accordingly then I hope they are ready to fight thousands of small damage claims in court. No business has the right to damage something you own... no matter how they try to dress it up. If they break it, then they replace it.. simple as!!
  

  
  
  Some days you're the dog. Other days you're the hydrant.

  3.10.2007 22:10 #9

• simpsim1

  Software is (and always has been) a massive grey area as far as ownership is concerned. Whilst it's certainly true to say that a person owns the hardware, the software (or firmware) is likely to be protected under intellectual property laws, which means that the developer still retains the ownership of it. Under that premise, they can pretty much do what they want with it. I would agree with the last comment, in as much as a firmware update that disables equipment if it has been altered, could amount to damage to property. However, we're not just talking an SP lock here... The firmware has been specifically made to work with a set provider. Removing an SP lock is one thing, but reverse engineering software is a completely different kettle of fish altogether, leaving the user in danger of infringing upon intellectual property rights. In such cases, the software owner can cite "Eye fon an eye" and get away with it.
  
  Is it right? probably not. But Apple will have researched the rights and wrongs long before the i-phone was released and will be aware that this sort of thing would have happened. So you can be sure that for every argument you could fire at them, that they would have plenty of ammo to hit back.
  
  Damned if you do and damned if you don't.

  4.10.2007 08:33 #10

• eLeCTR0n

  what faggots? it's only a matter of time and the iPhone will be hacked again. screw apple and its jobs.

  4.10.2007 15:05 #11

• plazma247

  Its a such a blury line on both sides, ok complain and scream drm, but really drm in most forms eventually gets broken and fails, so i think its less likely that would go after the modders in a counter suit, or use it as a defence.
  
  Just take DVD key system and region encoding.
  
  What it needs is someone who got their phone in the first weeks and paid full wack, to then take the stand over the broken phone.
  
  If what deadlove said is true about the one month thing, if they are not providing and offical unlocking method and the iphone mod was the only option.
  
  One good case could open the way for the others.
  
  Just hypothetically speaking ....

  5.10.2007 12:21 #12

• pmshah

  I no longer need to wonder if iPhone buying people take Stupid pills every morning. This really has removed all doubts.
  
  If your expensive toy has been hacked & has been working properly why do you take a chance on upgrading the firmware?
  
  Follow the same safety precautions that the Unix administrators do. Don't fix it unless it is broken!

  5.10.2007 21:17 #13

• simpsim1

  The point is not just about hacking firmware here. It's the purpose of doing it in the first place. Apple have handed AT&T a monopoly on a gadget that's expected to be widely popular. So we're basically told that we can have this phone, but we can only use AT&T.
  
  I always thought that our capitalist society would seek to encourage competition, but it now seems to encourage what is tantamount to meglomaniacal behaviour amongst these corporations. Without competition, it's harder to hold companies to account if they aren't up to scratch, because you can't threaten them with moving to another provider.
  
  So good luck to the hackers I say!

  5.10.2007 22:26 #14

• plazma247

  hear hear, simpsim1 well said.
  
  It makes me smile all the people that keep on bitching about the iphone and modders hack, i think they would argue over who was going to jump off a cliff first if they had the chance, still they would do so without knowing anything about it.
  
  Anyway if all the paid apple propergander rats that appear to be fighting the corner for apple would just shut the hell up the world could start being a better place.
  
  The entire apple iphone thing stinks like a Haliburton Defence Contract.

  6.10.2007 02:13 #15

• borhan9

  Sooner or later apple is going to loose this battle because hackers wqill break this and Apples efforts will be in vein and they will have to offer the phone across the board.

  10.10.2007 13:09 #16