In a move that has been left totally unexplained, Apple has ditched its jailbreak detection API that it introduced to iOS about six months ago. The utility was mostly of service to enterprise specialists who wanted to make sure their networks weren't being compromised by jailbroken iPhones, which can pose security risks.
When NetworkWorld asked Apple about the decision, they declined to comment. But Sybase VP of engineering Joe Owen seems to think that they dropped it because it's nearly impossible to keep such an API hackproof:
"It's an interesting concept - asking the OS to tell you if it has been compromised," Owen says. "Because a smart attacker might first change that very part of the OS. Jailbreaks often get better and better at disguising the fact that anything has been compromised."
But don't rest too easy, enterprising jailbreakers. Many companies develop their own proprietary solutions for detecting jailbroken devices in their enterprise networks. [NetworkWorld via Slashdot]