Exclusive, apple, breaking, firmware, iphone, iphone dev team, pwnage, top

New Version of Pwnage Arrives as Apple Tightens Security

We told you that the new Pwnage—the iPhone Dev Team tool to automatically hack legal Apple firmwares to free iPhone by making them fully customizable, open and unlocked—version was imminent and here it is. Gizmodo got early access to the software and it works great. But there is bad news brewing up: Apple is gearing up to battle the hackers big time.

Apart from the previous unlocking and jailbreaking, the new version has three main features:

• Easily customizable images for start and restore screens.
• You can use packages to customize your firmware and install software right away, on one single update.
• You can now pwn iPhone 1.2.0 beta 3.

We also got confirmation of what we already hinted last week: Apple is preparing up to battle the hackers, with more and more code running signed and secured inside the iPhone. This will make things more difficult for the iPhone Dev Team.

How much more difficult? Would this be a real challenge to the iPhone Dev Team's current dominance in the hacking war? According to them, it may be. But it just makes things more interesting and fun, which is exactly what we wanted to hear.

Get your update now. [iPhone Dev Team via Pwnage in Gizmodo]

5:02 PM on Mon Apr 14 2008
By Jesus Diaz
16,237 views
24 comments

Comments

mykalt45 at 05:07 PM on 04/14/08
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This is turning into the PSP scene.
Yeebles at 05:11 PM on 04/14/08
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Does this means it supports the iPod touch? @mykalt45: I agree. I think it is devices that have potential not utilized by the manufacturer which get homebrewed
shorty63136 at 05:12 PM on 04/14/08
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I tried PWNAGE this weekend and it was unsuccessful. I tried about 5 or 6 times to JB M'Iphone. It JB'd it alright, but then I couldn't use the phone function - at ALL.

Found out I had to actually UNLOCK it to let it pick up the AT&T network. Totally not comfortable with that since I'm already on AT&T.

iLibertyX has FAR less steps and only took 3 minutes.

Welcome back, Installer. How I missed thee!
jenheta at 05:16 PM on 04/14/08
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I wonder if this battle will be worth it. The iPhone Dev Team should keep their strategy below the radar as Apple might not care much about these hacks (AT&T is the actual screwed one). Announcing and flaming this war may push Apple to do something about it...which is NOT what users need :)
Hiphopopotamus at 05:21 PM on 04/14/08
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Just because this may be the first Jailbreak article without the caption:

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!
James at 05:24 PM on 04/14/08
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@jenheta: I second that! Dev Team really needs to keep things under wraps more. Calling the tool Pwnage is a bit of a smack in the face. Apple traditionally doesn't take kindly to that.
shorty63136 at 05:30 PM on 04/14/08
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I don't think AT&T are the ones actually being screwed. I think there are more people using JBing tools to use 3rd party apps (which will be bought from Apple via iTunes) than using it to unlock it and use it on another carrier. Especially since you can't even use it on Verizon. (Don't get me wrong - there's PLENTY of mofos out there who are unlocking their iPhone.)
redrabbit at 05:40 PM on 04/14/08
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I don't understand why Apple would try to stop this. If Apple wants people to use their products to their fullest potential, why won't they give them that option from the start? Now they're trying to stop hackers from making it more enjoyable for the customer?
shorty63136 at 05:51 PM on 04/14/08
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@redrabbit: EXACTLY! You're going to get more people that want to use your product if you make it more universal (while still protecting your $$$) instead of closing people off and micro-managing everything.
mikeg916 at 05:51 PM on 04/14/08
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@redrabbit: Apple? trying to control how people use their products?
How strange?
thistle.john at 06:01 PM on 04/14/08
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@shorty63136:

I think the problem is at the moment, that naughty apple customers are getting a better iPhone life than legit customers.
Blinklink11 at 06:02 PM on 04/14/08
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@jenheta:

As of right now, yes AT&T is the one being screwed, but when the iTunes App Store opens up, and people are downloading the apps for free of of installer instead of the store, Apple loses money.
thistle.john at 06:07 PM on 04/14/08
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my big worry is that when 2.0 comes out, apple will wait until a hack is released, all of the naughties install it, then apple does there clever little remote murder thing (as demoed in the last keynote) and all unlocked iPhones get fried for good...
workingonyourinvoice at 06:13 PM on 04/14/08
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Nice going asshats. If Apple didn't have to devote so many engineers to locking the firmware down, we'd have freaking copy and paste by now. Maybe even SMS.

Dicks.
drivintin at 06:21 PM on 04/14/08
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@workingonyourinvoice: OMG so true! WTF, is it really that hard to add MMS and get a copy and paste?
workingonyourinvoice at 06:32 PM on 04/14/08
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@workingonyourinvoice: MMS, not SMS. JACKASS.
m4ximusprim3 at 06:34 PM on 04/14/08
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@redrabbit: Shhh! Or the RDF police will come to your house. Nobody wants that.
iPhoneHellas at 06:40 PM on 04/14/08
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I can't understand why Pwnage was released so early! We already had 2-3 ways to unlock the iPhone (ZiPhone-iLiberty etc)

Shouldn't be the Dev Team waiting for the Final release of iPhone v2.0? That's what they said a few months ago... This is so wrong... They are showing Apple what bugs to fix in every release!!! Am I wrong?
gamecrazychris at 06:57 PM on 04/14/08
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Seriously I feel like donating to these people, they just don't give up!
silvermedal at 10:18 PM on 04/14/08
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@redrabbit: Isn't Apple getting a revenue cut of every AT&T iPhone bill on top of the hardware sales?
Jesus Diaz at 05:10 AM on 04/15/08
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Connectedness Index: 265
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@gamecrazychris: They don't accept donations anymore. They all have the equipment they need and they don't want to have the extra money. Also, they want to distinguish themselves from the likes of "zibri".
sirtalis at 07:27 AM on 04/15/08
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Go ahead Apple, close the damn thing up from all possible angles, and europe will not buy it. Promise!
friendorfaux.vox.com at 03:24 PM on 04/15/08
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Tried the Pwnage tool several times for the Touch. Didn't work. Tired of trying. Back to Ziphone for one-click ease.
oat at 05:23 PM on 04/15/08
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Did you notice that on the dev teams website that it now doesn't say MAC next to the pwnagetool download? Looks like a windows version could be out very shortly, maybe tomorrow?