Filed under: iPod Family, Security, iPhone
11 year olds, iPhone repositories and the power of Eeeeeeevil
So while I was gone off, enjoying the wild wonders of Arizona, seems like a big kerfuffle tumulted, disturbed, and then resolved. Mike Rose just dropped me an IM, asking whether the whole "Mikey" thing meant that the iPhone was especially susceptible to malicious influences. Was this the canary in the coal mine? Are bad things coming down the road iPhone-wise?
In my opinion? Not so much. This bad patch showed more that users could be quick to respond and capable of handling flackitude than that the iPhone was a particularly vulnerable platform. Less harm was done by Mikey the 11 year old than by the whole recent QuickBooks debacle.
It's a given when one computes that bad things happen. Some harm is intentional, some not. What we saw at play here, and is especially obvious in retrospect, was a quick community response. The strong network of Apple/iPhone enthusiasts got the message out and acted with precision and decisiveness. Well done, guys.
![TUAW [Cafepress]](http://www.blogsmithmedia.com/www.tuaw.com/media/tuaw-cafepress-promo.png)
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Andy said 2:45PM on 1-07-2008
Great, another opportunity to embiggen my vocabulary with a new word 'flackitude' in this cromulent post.
Craptacular!
Reply
krye said 3:13PM on 1-07-2008
Did I miss a news flash? What happened?
Reply
Bryan T said 4:55PM on 1-07-2008
No kidding, I have never been so confused before
Fritz Laurel said 3:20PM on 1-07-2008
I may have bought an iPhone on day 1, but even I am not eager enough (dumb enough? no, too harsh. brazen? cavalier?) to install anything from any source (including, if not especially, Apple) unless several others have tried it or examined it first.
As Erica points out, I'm glad that there is a strong sense of community where iPhone users and dev members examine these things and "put the word out" before major eeeevil has a chance to set root. Bravo!
Cheers,
FL
Reply
punkassjim said 4:39PM on 1-07-2008
I'm with you on that one. Ain't no WAY I'd install something without (at minimum) scrutinizing the "More Info" page through Installer.app. Usually, before I take the plunge, I hop on hackint0sh or mmi to see if anyone's commented on it.
You folks who add any source you can get your hands on are really asking for trouble. I mean, it's cute that you trust people like that, but jeez. How much more "here, break my shit" can you be?
billg said 9:39PM on 1-07-2008
Wrong. It's because of people like Erica and the "iphone dev team" that such ridiculous exploits are possible -- that's why she's downplaying the significance of this, and that's why you haven't heard about it.
Yeah, congrats iphone hoarking community, somebody noticed all their stuff got deleted and figured out which update was the cause... please ignore the giant gaping hole that has been opened by unauthorized work.
All you Erica apologists should hope apple rolls out the sdk soon before anything worse happens due to the inexperience of these hobbyists.
KeynoteKen said 10:37PM on 1-08-2008
I was kinda wondering why every minute detail of the hacking is reported here step by step but this rather interesting tale was reduced to "kerfuffle tumulted, disturbed, and then resolved". I seriously had no idea what this was about and wondered why there was no detail in the post (especially no mention of the part where it specifically messes with Erica's Utilities). I'm sure it wasn't intentional on her part, but there are always questions when the reporters become the news.
poetic_folly said 3:31PM on 1-07-2008
Source: http://www.modmyifone.com/forums/showthread.php?t=24323
Reply
swisspolo said 4:07PM on 1-07-2008
11!!!! That's ridiculous. I just about knew what DOS was back then let alone having the ability to do what this kid's done! Hope his dad has a college fund ready!
simon
@sipedia.co.uk
Reply
bob_c_b said 4:15PM on 1-07-2008
I was so hoping the derth of petty iPhone stories meant that Erica was gone from this site, but apparently she was only on vacation.
Reply
Luigi193 said 4:34PM on 1-07-2008
Lets try being nice Bob...
I know no one has "feelings" anymore, but that would probably hurt if it was said to you...
Flame me all ya want... Ill im saying is MAYBE we could be SORTA nice...
bob_c_b said 5:37PM on 1-07-2008
It wasn't meant to be nice, it was meant to clearly voice my displeasure with the continuous stream of tedium Erica presents with every submission.
This isn't about "feelings" but about the quality and substance of her submissions to this site.
Fritz Laurel said 5:56PM on 1-07-2008
Sorry to hear you're having trouble with Erica's posts. I, however, disagree and think it's time you found another site, or filtered Erica's posts if they bother you so much.
Cheers,
FL
bob_c_b said 6:05PM on 1-07-2008
Sorry I broke up your groupthink here, but I'll decide if I want to move along on my terms, thanks. I'm amazed how low some of your standards are that this passes as journalism, even web journalism.
Russell said 5:42PM on 1-07-2008
I don't get it, so these "malicious" packages simply did a bad job of installing other peoples code? Sounds stupid, but not malicious.
Reply
DrWho said 5:51PM on 1-07-2008
Makes me even more happy that I don't hack my phone.
Reply
Frank Furter said 7:24PM on 1-07-2008
I second that. Idiots. Hack away. Don't let the man get you down!!!!
David said 7:41PM on 1-07-2008
I read this post and still don't get what the heck it was about...
Reply
walter said 12:15AM on 1-10-2008
Speaking of 11 year olds, check out this pre-MacWorld concept/prediction on iLife apps produced my son using iLife apps and Final Cut Express 4.0:
http://gallery.mac.com/portorfordtv#100026
He thinks that SJ will hype up the iLife bundle at MacWorld 2008.
Reply