InfoWorld Says Relying on Jailbroken iPhone is 'Idiotic'

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Posted December 8, 2008 at 6:05pm by iClarified

In an article published on InfoWorld and reprinted on MacWorld, relying on a jailbroken iPhone is called idiotic.

Tom Yager, writes an article intended to instruct users on the eight steps to iPhone security.

The steps outline are:
1. Never leave your iPhone unlocked
2. Keep up with Apple firmware updates
3. Put your iPhone on a leash
4. Secure your iTunes host
5. Don't jailbreak your iPhone
6. Hide sensitive data in plain sight
7. Use FileVault on the Mac or EFS on Vista
8. Use Exchange Server for its back end

Paying attention to step five Yager writes,
The iPhone jailbreak process purposely disarms the mechanisms that Apple created to protect your data. With App Store, a trusted party tests and vouches for the software, and Apple can trigger an uninstall of an app if a risk is discovered later. The protections offered by open source projects --multiple contributors, readily viewable code, and a central location for comments and fixes -- don't exist in the jailbreak world. I'll grant that jailbreaking an iPod Touch or a retired iPhone can be good fun. Relying on a jailbroken iPhone as your primary mobile device is idiotic.

It's so quick and easy to jailbreak an iPhone that it takes a minimum of social engineering to trick a trusting user into bypassing Apple's built-in guard against modified firmware. It's a simple sell: By holding down one key while clicking Restore, you don't waste time waiting for new firmware to download from Apple. Don't fall for it. Always download firmware directly from Apple.

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InfoWorld Says Relying on Jailbroken iPhone is 'Idiotic'

*Thanks to Chris for the link

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JeremyR - December 10, 2008 at 10:03am

@HS: I agree with everything you said except for your point not to jailbreak if you need a corporate tool. IThe iPhone, out-of-the-box, is absolutely NOT a corporate tool. I'm an IT/business user and I can state without equivocation that the only way to get the iPhone close to being a workable corporate device is to jailbreak it.

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HS - December 9, 2008 at 9:28am

While I can understand the points raised in the article, I think that the author is missing a few points as well. I have a jailbroken 2G phone and have had some difficulties and moments of terror when something has gone awry during an update of firmware. However, I have always taken precautions and backed up data to ensure that I can restore it (sometimes, with great help from sites like iClarified!). Jailbreaking your phone is not for everyone and it requires a little bit more tolerance and understanding of the implications surrounding it. If you need a corporate tool and want it supported, then Jailbreaking is not for you. If you understand the risks and opportunities (like not being screwed over by phone companies with punitive roaming charges) then Jailbreaking your phone is a valuable method to use the iPhone (especially when it wasn't being offered in Canada originally. Even now, I am not going to take out a 3-year commitment (longer than any car-lease I have ever had) on a phone, whose technology changes every 12-18 months. It doesn't make sense! Maybe if I could buy an iPhone separate from a carrier, it might be a different story. However, for now, jailbreaking is the best option for me and many others. Some of the other points in the article are valid, and the only thing that I would like to see is a longer locking code on the phone or some other biometric securing capability.

S_Warrior - December 9, 2008 at 6:04am

InfoWho? C'mon get serious. This is just a very low level move of the "call for attention" game. Revenues must be declining fast at InfoWhatever. Best thing to do is just to ignore!

Lancebond - December 9, 2008 at 5:47am

next they'll be saying don't jailbreak your iphone, by jailbreaking your iphone you are in fact helping terrorism! or jailbreaking your iphone causes cancer, and makes fairies wings fall off.... seriously, could these people come up with any more useless warnings for us!

Steve - December 9, 2008 at 12:33am

Sorry - that was meant for Tich!!!!!

K - December 8, 2008 at 9:43pm

Here's something for InfoWorld, Relying on InfoWorld is IDIOTIC! I think so 1. Never leave your iPhone unlocked But I have heard my iPhone said, Give me liberty or give me death? 2. Keep up with Apple firmware updates Yes we do! 3. Put your iPhone on a leash I'm worried that my wallet had more than my iPhone. 4. Secure your iTunes host Who can guarantee that the online computer is Secure. 5. Don't jailbreak your iPhone do jailbreak be get more fun and because we don't want the iPhone as just like Phone iPPC as we need! 6. Hide sensitive data in plain sight can you hide your wallet and credit cards and Driver license inside your ass Will be more secure? 7. Use FileVault on the Mac or EFS on Vista I agree 8. Use Exchange Server for its back end The Microsoft would like to thank you for doing ads.

Idiot - December 8, 2008 at 9:30pm

Without jailbreak, iphone 4 years behind in terms of feature. Apple nowdays more greedy than microsoft.

Tom - December 8, 2008 at 8:01pm

If you jailbroke your iphone only to get quick gold, sbsettings, categories, and backgrounder, you would have a phone that was considerably better and with apps that should have been included in the first place. It's funny because I read about shortcomings of the iphone (like being able to search the phone for sms, email, docs etc.) and all of them don't seem to apply to a jailbroken phone. Amazing huh! Honestly, were I not able to restore my phone back to factory settings/firmware using itunes, I probably wouldn't jailbreak in the first place. It's just too easy to do and makes for the best smartphone solution available today.

t11chb - December 8, 2008 at 6:32pm

I used to jailbreak my own & my wife iPhone, but apps were unstable, and everytime a firmware update came along we'd lose our installed app etc. I only use pwnage tool now and stick to apple aps & surprise surprise, the phone is stable, yeah apps do sometimes crash but works better for us. Used to love springboard, best app was iBlacklist.

David - December 8, 2008 at 6:09pm

These guys are funny. Never had a problem calling or had a huge problem with my jailbroken/unlocked iPhone.