Apple´s new iOS5 platform available on the iPhone4S, iPod and iPad2 is found to have a flaw that invites hackers to steal personal data from the device. Hackers in the United States have discovered a hidden mode embedded in Apple´s camera application that will give access to anybody with knowledge of the codes.
Though the feature does not appear to be completed, iOS hacker Conrad Kramer discovered a way to enable a hidden operating mode in the panoramic setting of the iOS5 camera application. The feature appears to be something that is in ongoing development by Apple technicians but until they app is completed and downloaded to devices users are left exposed to hackers. Once they are in they will not leave even after the updates.
The wormhole for hackers is found in the panoramic option of the camera and offers settings for a grid and HDR when creating a panorama photo. According to the hacker, Conrad Kramer, the mode is activated by setting the “EnableFirewall” key to Yes in a preference file within the mobile operating system.
Apple devices like iPhone, iPad and iPod are programmed with default settings which enable these firewalls automatically, thus allowing hackers to access the device. Although jailbreaking is void in Apple´s warranty the procedure was legalised by the US government in June 2010.
Jailbreaking, or “Chipping” in the UK, is a term used for activating secret mode settings in devices that enables it to activate other features that are in development by the electronics company. For example, one hacker published a report that allows iPhone 4 users to activate some functions of the voice assistant Siri that is available on the new-generation iPhone 4S.
Since the laws on jailbreaking were made legal in the US, hackers using Apple technology have been posting information giving details of how to access software that has not been approved by Apple onto an alternative storefront known as Cydia. Some applications they post for free whilst others are for purchase.
And the hidden software applications are not just limited to handheld multimedia devices. A hidden drop-down Box in the Mac OS X Lion was also discovered recently. The feature allows users to sync files across multiple Macs meaning that hackers can lock into any Mac users and gain access to their personal files.
In their defence, Apple has employed a notorious jailbreaker, presumably to lock down their software.
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