jailbreak

9 cool things you can do with an old iPhone

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What Can You Use It For?
There are a few things you can use an old iPhone for.
Image: D. Griffin Jones/Cult of Mac

There are a lot of things you can do with old iPhones. In fact, it might be worth keeping them around rather than trading them in. There are all kinds of things you can use an old iPhone for: a DIY HomePod, a games console, a camera, a weather station, a smart display or a digital clock. And someone else you know may want it if you’re feeling generous.

Here are the nine things you can do with an old iPhone.

First iPhone jailbreak in years made possible by Apple security screwup

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Cydia
We haven't Cydia on our iPhones in forever.
Photo: Alex Heath

Jailbreaking your up-to-date iPhone and iPad is finally possible again for the first time in years thanks to a big software goof by Apple.

Security researcher Pwn20wnd published a full jailbreak for iOS 12.4 today after discovering that Apple accidentally unpatched a security flaw in iOS 12.4 that it had fixed in iOS 12.3. The jailbreak makes it possible to completely customize nearly all aspects of your iPhone and iPad software, but there are some risks too.

Apple Watch Series 3 gets its first jailbreak

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Apple Watch Series 3
If you've been dreaming of jailbreaking your Apple Watch, today is your lucky day!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Jailbreaking isn’t nearly as big news as it was in the early days of the iPhone. However, that doesn’t mean we’re not excited to hear about a new Apple device being given the jailbreak treatment.

That’s what happened recently when jailbreaker Tihmstar released the first “almost complete” jailbreak for the Apple Watch Series 3, running watchOS 4.1. However, the jailbreak will also work on older Apple Watches with slight modifications.

How top secret iPhone code ended up on the web

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iPhone boot up
"The biggest leak in history."
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A low-level Apple employee leaked the secret iPhone code that ended up on GitHub.

iBoot, a part of iOS that ensures the device is booting a trusted operating system, surfaced online last week in what was described by one security expert as “the biggest leak in history.”

Here’s how and why the code got out.

Massive online leak reveals iPhone’s deepest secrets

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iPhone boot up
"The biggest leak in history."
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Source code for a core component of the iPhone’s software has appeared online in what is described as “the biggest leak in history.”

iBoot, a part of iOS that ensures the device is booting a trusted operating system, was posted to GitHub anonymously. The code could be used by hackers to find vulnerabilities in Apple’s software. The company has already filed a copyright take-down request to have it removed.

Big Cydia sources shut down as jailbreaking dies out

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Cydia jailbreak
Cydia is now compatible with iOS 11. Here’s which tweaks you can use.
Photo: Cydia

Two of Cydia’s largest repositories have been shutdown as jailbreaking dies out. ModMy and ZodTTD are no longer available, leaving BigBoss as the only major source still available to those who want apps and tweaks you can’t find in the App Store.

Hacker shows off world’s first successful iPhone X jailbreak

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iPhone X
Well, that didn't take too long!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone X is still brand new, but already a jailbreaker in South Korea has managed to figure out how to jailbreak the device.

The functional jailbreak for Apple’s brand new iOS 11.1.1 firmware on the iPhone X was shown off at the POC2017 event in Seoul, South Korea. In an video of the demonstration, hacker Liang Chen of KeenLab was shown executing a jailbreak on the iOS version which Apple made publicly available just yesterday.

iOS 11 beta has already been jailbroken

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iOS 11 Control Center
But don't expect to get your hands on it just yet!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iOS 11 beta has only been available for a few weeks, but already it’s been cracked by some enterprising jailbreakers — although don’t expect to be able to get your hands on it just yet.

The iOS 11 beta 2 jailbreak was shown off by security researchers at the recent Mobile Security Conference (MOSEC) 2017 in Shanghai, China. Photos of the demo were posted online by Min Zheng, Senior Security Engineer at Alibaba.

Hackers can make $1.5 million jailbreaking iOS 10

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iPhone 7
You can make big bucks hacking the iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith

Looking for a quick way to become a millionaire? Just try hacking the iPhone.

Software security firm Zerodium revealed today that it has raised the price of its permanent bounty on iOS zero-day exploits, giving hackers a chance to earn up to $1.5 million if their exploit meets all the requirements.

Soap star’s secret revealed! She jailbreaks.

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When she's not on set, actress Melissa Archer dabbles in jailbreaking.
When she's not on set, actress Melissa Archer dabbles in jailbreaking.
Photo courtesy of Melissa Archer

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugThis is the third story in a three-part series on jailbreaking iOS.

When Melissa Archer learned she would die at the hands of a serial killer, she made one last request: “I asked if I could have a death scene because I am a nerd.”

Her death had significance. It meant a long run as a mainstay and fan favorite of daytime soap operas was about to go on hiatus. It also meant she would have more time to devote to another passion — jailbreaking iPhones and inventing new features.

These creative hackers bring style to iPhone jailbreaks

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LockPlus, created by Jr, allows users to download thousands of different lock screen setups.
LockPlus, created by Jr, allows users to download thousands of different lock screen setups.
Photo: Jr/junesiphone.com

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugThis is the second story in a three-part series on jailbreaking iOS.

Apple may have used “Think Different” as a marketing slogan once upon a time, but there is a kind of underground network of iOS developers who claim the two words as a reason to exist.

But with their idea of “Think Different,” they add this: “Look Different.”

World’s fiercest iPhone jailbreaker can be shy in the spotlight

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Jay
Jay "saurik" Freeman, maker of Cydia, says there are legit reasons to jailbreak your iPhone.
Photo: Jim Merithew/Cult of Mac

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugThis is the first in a three-part series on jailbreaking iOS.

The leading figure in the jailbreak community has the ideal name in defending your right to circumvent your iPhone’s operating system.

Jay Freeman is known to serve his community with a Braveheart-like passion, defending the practice with the sharp edge of his intellect and a seemingly inexhaustible energy for argument.

Apple is ready to pay hackers a big bounty for bugs

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iOS 10
Apple needs help squashing bugs.
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Apple’s head of security and engineering architecture, Ivan Kritic, revealed yesterday that the iPhone maker is finally creating a bug bounty program that will offer rewards of up to $200,000 to security researchers who find vulnerabilities on the company’s various software platforms.

The news came during a keynote at the annual Black Hat Conference in Las Vegas where Kritic also gave attendees a behind-the-scenes look at iOS 10 security as part of Apple’s effort to become more open about its architecture in hopes of improving it.

iOS 10 jailbreak team makes key breakthrough

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Cydia-iOS-10
Squint hard enough and you'll see the Cydia icon.
Photo: Mosecon

With every iOS update, Apple makes it harder for hackers to jailbreak its software — but it seems there’s still plenty of work to be done.

At the Mobile Security Conference (MOSEC) in Shanghai today, Chinese jailbreak team Pangu revealed it already has Cydia running under iOS 10.