Hack

iOS 7 includes fix for malicious charger exploit

Cody Lee ∙ August 1, 2013

Back in June, a group of researches discovered a flaw in iOS that would theoretically allow an iOS device to be hacked using a malicious USB charger. Their proof-of-concept allowed them to invisibly install malware on non-jailbroken iPhones and iPads.

The results of the experiment were called 'alarming,' and brought to the attention of Apple in hopes for a quick fix. The Cupertino company must have gotten the message, because according to a new report, the exploit has been patched in the latest iOS 7 beta...

Viber attack may have been more broad than initially thought [updated]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated August 24, 2016

Internet companies beware, hackers are out in full force this month. In the past two weeks, we've seen Apple's Dev Center hacked, several Instagram accounts hacked, and the popular voice and messaging service Viber attacked.

Viber claims, though, that the damage it suffered from its breach was minimal, saying the attacker only gained access to two minor support systems. But a quick glance at its App Store description suggests that wasn't the case...

Instagram users hacked by smoothie spammer [update]

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

If you've been having trouble logging into your Instagram account this morning, or have noticed any strange photos posted to your stream, you're not alone. Several users are reporting that they've been hacked on the popular photo sharing network.

Reports first started surfacing about the issue on Twitter around 11PM last night, according to a report by The Verge. Users who suffered attacks complained that unauthorized photos along with strange URLs had been posted to their accounts...

Amid continuing outage, Apple launches Dev Center status dashboard

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 24, 2013

Seven days into the Dev Center outage and there's no end in sight to this major blunder. Developers use Apple's Dev Center to access technical documentation, download iOS 7 and OS X beta builds, file bug reports, give feedback, use web tools to manage their code and much more.

Therefore, this downtime is entirely unacceptable and it's become totally conceivable now that such a significant downtime might spoil Apple's blockbuster Fall. Realizing as much, the firm on Wednesday posted a notice outlining its steps going forward.

And, a brand new dashboard status page charts Apple's recovery from the hack...

Popular voice and messaging service ‘Viber’ hacked by Syrian Electronic Army

Cody Lee ∙ Updated December 4, 2013

Popular voice and messaging service Viber has been hacked by the Syrian Electronic Army, reports The Hacker News. The group has a history of hacking the Twitter accounts of the Associated Press, The Guardian, and other news sources.

Proof of today's attack came in the form of a warning message on Viber's support website (which has since been). The SEA claims that the messaging platform is spying and tracking its users, and it posted a screenshot of alleged evidence...

Security researcher used iAd Workbench exploit to hack Apple’s dev center

Cody Lee ∙ July 23, 2013

Last Thursday, an intruder attempted to secure personal information from Apple's developer website. The company immediately took the dev center offline, and at the time of this writing it's still down, in order to rebuild its systems in a way that this won't happen again.

But just exactly how did it happen? Well according to Turkish security researcher Ibrahim Balic, who is claiming responsibility for the outage, he was able to infiltrate Apple's servers thanks to an exploit he discovered in the recently released iAd Workbench software...

Apple: dev portal breach hasn’t compromised iTunes accounts or credit cards

Christian Zibreg ∙ July 22, 2013

You're probably aware by now Apple's portal for its registered developers has been down since noon on Thursday, July 18. The firm on Sunday updated the standard "we'll be back soon" message at the service's landing page to warn the "maintenance will take longer than expected".

Adding fuel to fire, Apple soon after emailed developers with details on what they revealed as a nasty security breach that may have left some private information exposed. Unfortunately, the company stopped short of detailing precisely what information might have been compromised and how.

Be that as it may, the seeming privacy scare has left many scratching their head over the potential unpleasantries that might transpire next. Apple on its part did confirm the breach won't affect consumer iTunes account and said no credit card data had been compromised...

Apple developer site hacked, some info may have been exposed

Cody Lee ∙ July 21, 2013

On Friday, we noted that Apple's developer center—where it hosts downloads, documentation and other resources—had been down for a record 48 hours. Well here it is Sunday, and the dev portal appears to still be out of commission.

At first, the company was mum on the outage, saying only that it was sorry that "maintenance was taking longer than expected," and that it would make up for the lost time. But today, it broke the silence, announcing it has been hacked...

Saurik posts exploit and fix for ‘Master Key’ Android vulnerability

Cody Lee ∙ Updated September 26, 2016

Jay Freeman, also known as Saurik, is well known by iOS users for his work in the jailbreak community. Not only does he run Cydia, the definitive jailbreak store, but he also develops tweaks and handles a number of other aspects.

But Saurik is also making a name for himself among Android users as well. Back in May, he released a working form of his Cydia substrate for Google's platform, and this weekend he's posted a fix for a major security vulnerability...

P0sixninja hints at upcoming release: ‘think bigger than jailbreak’

Cody Lee ∙ June 25, 2013

This is kind of interesting. Joshua Hill, better known as the iOS hacker p0sixninja, sent out a bit of a cryptic message from his Twitter account last night saying that he has a lot of amazing things coming to 'us all' soon.

Hill, who has helped build a number of jailbreaks including Greenpois0n and Absinthe, has been fairly quiet lately. But he did say back in March that he had independently discovered enough exploits to build a new hack...

Apple TV hack enables Russian video service, no jailbreak required

Christian Zibreg ∙ June 25, 2013

Remember a recent hack which cleverly tricks Apple TV's stock Trailers app into streaming video from the popular Plex media player, no jailbreak required? Apparently, the same trickery can be exploited in order to enable access to certain online video services. A Russian blog today spread word of a very similar hack that lets owners of the second and third-generation Apple TV stream content from Russia's UnliMovie digital TV service, directly through the set-top box's Trailers app...

Hacked T-Mobile carrier update brings HD Voice to the iPhone 4S

Cody Lee ∙ Updated January 26, 2016

Folks with an iPhone on T-Mobile might be interested to hear that there's a new hacked carrier update available that promises a number of enhancements. It was created by the same folks who brought you hacks for Sprint, Verizon and AT&T.

This time around, the developers say that the modded update is good for more than just speed improvements. For iPhone 5 users, it adds a 4G toggle so you can switch it off to conserve battery life. And for 4S users, it adds HD Voice support...