Teenager claims to have easy iPod Touch jailbreak

A 13-year-old hacker claims to have developed code that would let you put third-party applications on an iPod Touch without having to take a computer science class.

A simple iPod Touch jailbreak program is out that apparently lets you install third-party applications.

(Credit: Ina Fried/CNET News.com)

AriX sent us a press release Sunday promoting iJailbreak, an automated program that allows third-party applications to run on the iPod Touch. It doesn't work for the iPhone, and it's only available for iPod Touch owners who are using Intel-based Macs. I don't have an iPod Touch at my disposal right now, so I'm unable to test whether it actually works, but some users on MacRumors.com reported that it worked.

Ever since Apple released the 1.1.1 software update for both the iPhone and the iPod Touch in late September that broke older third-party application installers, hackers have been hard at work searching for a new way to bypass the restrictions. A preliminary jailbreaking application was released last week, but it required a great deal of expertise to get up and running. Erica Sadun, a writer for The Unofficial Apple Weblog, installed that iPod Touch jailbreak Friday evening but warned, "This is not ready for prime time, kids. Don't do this at home."

The iJailbreak program, however, is apparently designed for those who would like to put other applications on their iPod Touch but aren't crack coders. According to the press release, "the only user interaction required for iJailBreak to work is to restart the iPod Touch using the button on the top of the iPod. The application does the rest." AriX said he spent about nine hours writing a program in AppleScript that automatically does the scripting required to install the update released last week.

He said there's a slight risk that the program could "brick" your iPod Touch, but it's pretty easy to restore an iPod Touch to the factory settings if something goes wrong. As we noted last week, we don't link to these kinds of programs, but it's called iJailBreak. That's iJailBreak. One more time, in case you missed it, iJailBreak.

If you've successfully installed this program, or if you can't get it to work, let us know in the comments below or drop me an e-mail at tom dot krazit at cnet dot com.

[yaZULU]

wow,

Thats impressive, 13 and already hacking iPods, and 9 hours in <br />applescript isnt exactly fun either.

[thatxbxtchxnicoll]

It works.

N/a

[hutchike]

...or just get a Nokia N800

With it's Maemo Linux operating system, Nokia's N800 Internet Tablet was designed for you to install all your favourite apps. See <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://maemo.org/" target="_newWindow">http://maemo.org/</a> for details. Also, the N800 has a web cam and mic for Skype and Google Talk. The iPod Touch isn't close to that kind of capability, but it's fun in Starbucks.

[Triviaguy]

it works

i am writing this from a hacked ipod, and it only took <br />me10minutes to hack the device. The best part is that the hack <br />allows you to enter dates in the calendar, making the touch a <br />useful pda.

[rcrusoe]

Get back to us

after you install the next update.<br /><br />If you can.

[asumo82]

ijailbreak, once again ijailbreak

gotta love cnet, and the internet for that matter, where a lazy person can get their fix on whatever, like how to unlock an iphone. Good stuff!!! Make sure to keep repeating the names of these cracker software atleast 4-5 times withing each article so slow people can find it easily so we can google it and start our donwloading :)

[Vegaman_Dan]

It's news

Would you rather they squash the story and hide from the facts? Then they would be accused of being paid off by Apple or intimidated. <br /><br />Post the news and let people make the decisions for themselves.

[Vegaman_Dan]

What does this say about the security?

A 13 year old kid can outsmart Apple's design team. That isn't... very comforting when I think of Apple products and security.<br /><br />Sure, they could hack a Windows box with ease, but now Apple products are just as easy if not easier to hack.<br /><br />Hmm. Could be interesting to see where this goes.

[menotbug]

What it says...

It says that you don't know what "security" is. Security is what <br />protects you from hackers. This is important to Apple. That's <br />why Apple has a security response team that responds to <br />matters of (actual) security. This however, is not security. What <br />you describe as "security" is actually DRM, which protects Apple's <br />contractual obligations from customer's hacks. You're not going <br />to see Apple employees crying over a hacked iPhone. Plus, the <br />people who work in security response at Apple have nothing to <br />do with this DRM stuff, and probably hate the stuff. There is no <br />correlation with cracking DRM and malicious hackers cracking <br />into your iPhone remotely. In fact, they should stop calling <br />iPhones unlockers "hackers" because it gives the false <br />impression that there is some connection here. Maybe <br />"modders" would be more appropriate.

[kreagan82]

It says nothing about security

"Sure, they could hack a Windows box with ease, but now Apple products are just as easy if not easier to hack." <br /><br />I don't think the program is a virus or malware of any kind. It's a program to aid in installing 3rd party applications. I doubt the author would suggest downloading the software if it was malicious. <br /><br />Furthermore, I think you are confusing hacker with cracker. They are totally 2 different things. Cracker = one who gains unauthorized access to computers and hacker = someone who creates software/code/ect. without skill/design. <br /><br />Next time, don't just read the title but read the whole article.

[starcannon]

Well he didn't write the hack

He wrote a script that automates the hack some one else came up with.<br />Still brilliant, but not quite the David and Goliath story that this is being hyped as.

[jelloburn]

I can hear the distant cries...

...from all the people that jailbreak their iPod's and then see them <br />broken by an impending update. And then they will all cry and <br />moan about how they didn't know what they were doing was <br />against their warrantees. It's just going to be a bunch of little kids <br />and immature adults not willing to take responsibility for their <br />actions.<br /><br />Just like the iPhone...

[roark1]

misuse is misuse

I am so tired of hearing of "the buyers rights".... its like buying a <br />gas powered car and "retooling" it to run diesel. Start the car up, <br />a big black puff of smoke comes out, and it's now a nice shiny <br />2000 pound brick of steel, or aluminum or what ever.... then go <br />crying to the dealer screaming, MY CAR WONT RUN THE WAY I <br />WANT IT TO!!!! I want my car to run on diesel!!! <br /><br />well, sir it's not designed to do that... <br /><br />WELL I BOUGHT IT AND I WANT IT TO, ... <br /><br />um, sorry sir, it doesn't work that way. If you do that, it will <br />probably blow black smoke and not work anymore.<br /><br />WELL I AM NOT GOING TO DANCE TO YOUR TUNE MR. DEALER, <br />ITS MY CAR AND I WANT IT TO RUN.... AND RUN THE WAY I <br />WANT IT TO.... I AM GOING TO SUE YOU FOR NOT LETTING ME <br />BE ABLE TO RUIN MY OWN CAR!!!!<br /><br />BLAH BLAH BLAH....

[starcannon]

RE: I can hear the distant crie...

Precisely why I would never buy a mac based anything, who wants yet another corporate giant telling them what to do with their hardware.<br />Best bet, just avoid Mac and MS based products. <br />Yeah I'm one of those guys that uses the other OS, and no its not that big a deal, well yeah it is, I'm free :)

[drakoniumx]

Apples cronies

Check all the negative talk from apples cronies! They 're all bent out of shape, threatening free thought and innovation. Fight back, email them call them, let them know how u feel. Don't let them bully you, you are the consumer, if all else fails. STOP USING THE IPHONE, and post what you think about them online!

[alleyg]

Not an iPhone, folks

Most of the previous posts keep referring to iPhones. This article is about cracking an iPod Touch.<br /><br />When Apple gets around to fixing the TIFF buffer overflow, this exploit will stop working.<br /><br />Then everyone will probably condemn Apple for doing that just to thwart iJailBreak.

[jrm125]

Apple is discovering growing pains

For years...Windows has always been the target of hackers...not just for its ease of hacking but also because hacking Windows devices has the biggest payoff due to its rampantly wide usage.<br /><br />Apple fans have always touted their security...mostly because hackers didn't pay attention to them. But now with their increased popularity they are discovering it's not so easy to be the popular kid on the block. Hackers are going to increasingly focus on Macs...and win.<br /><br />Welcome to the real world Mr. Jobs.

[MSSlayer]

lol

Still waiting for an exploit in the wild for OSX...<br /><br />Still wondering why Windows Server and IIS get exploited way more then Apache, even though Apache is the top dog...

[Below Meigh]

Apple: Look here for what users want!

Ahh. It took a teen (and some others) to show Apple that, We NEED this! We can't wait for your marketing. We can't wait for your bureaucratic management decisions. We can't wait for iGod (Jobs &#38; Co.) to give the people what they want (and not what you or AAPL holders think they want).<br /><br />Now. Give us a 32G iTouch, dammit!

[Voodoo101]

This is amusing......

It only goes to show that any software company's quest for excessive control will be met with due resistence. Bravo to the liberators, may their success be long-lived! (and prosperous!)

[starcannon]

Poor Steve can't Micro Manage His Userbase...

though he tries and tries, stomps his feet, and threatens to brick their hardware if the user base doesn't conform to his idea of how their devices "should be". You'd think this would be THE wake up call for not just Apple, but for all Hardware and Software vendors and any combo there-in, users will risk it all to have it their way, so why risk iratating your user base by forcing unwanted and harmless restrictions down their throats?<br />tsk.. tsk.. Those Apple T.V. ads have just become even more obscenely ironic.

[MSSlayer]

Partly agree

The iTouch, iPod and iPhone need to have more features and abilities. Nokia has cheaper phones that do everything the iPhone can+ a hell of a lot more.<br /><br />Given that, there will always be missing features. There will always be something that people want in a device that isn't in there.

[hilligibson]

ipod touch jailbreak

where can I get the code?

[Seaspray0]

look for it

Please re-read the article. Pay close attention to anything in the article they mention over and over and over again. Google it. Once again, google it. I repeat... google it.

[Alicia Rixter]

Wow!

Only 13! I think he has a future at Apple.<br /><br />I found a link to his jailbreak application at<br /><a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.ipodjailbreak.com" target="_newWindow">http://www.ipodjailbreak.com</a> and it worked no problem.

[jjoensuu]

get a Neo 1973 from openmoko.com instead

Good job for someone who is just 13 to create something like this.<br /><br />But that Apple phone gets simply too much publicity from within the IT community. Just like a lousy boyfriend, it is not ALL THAT.<br /><br />I guess the amount of news space is just a reflection of the good job done by the marketing department at Apple.<br /><br />But if you REALLY want to be able to hack and customize your phone, get a Neo 1973 from openmoko .com instead.

[bwanac-20838752356067768479670]

works for me

I'm on mine now!!!

[pestss08]

help???

Could someone please help me out with this? I tried and the program ran for over 20 min. and NOTHING happened. thanks!

[Alicia Rixter]

Jailbreak

Pestss08 - you can view the guide at <a class="jive-link-external" href="http://www.ipodjailbreak.com" target="_newWindow">http://www.ipodjailbreak.com</a> that's how I did it. They have guides for both Mac or Windows. Also info on the new automatic app for intel macs

[rasikaclouded]

Help would be greatly appreciated.

I attempted to jailbreak my iPod Touch (16 GB), however it failed, how surprising, and I'm now unable to restore my iPod Touch due to error (-18), and my iPod itself is telling me that with no songs or videos currently on it, it only contains 300 MB or memory. I'm at a complete loss, having no previous speculation of jailbreaking. If I am able to fix this, I don't plan on attempting to do it again. Does anyone know how to successfully restore my iPod Touch? Any hints or solutions would be appreciated significanlty. Thanks!

[skytahlon]

How to restore ur ipod

1. Launch iTunes.<br />2. Turn iPhone off (hold down top power button &#38; swipe when <br />prompted).<br />3. Hold down Home button.<br />4. Plug iPhone into USB/Dock cable.<br />5. iPhone shows a picture of a Dock cable being plugged into <br />the iTunes CD icon.<br />6. Release Home button.<br /><br />(replace the word "iphone" with "ipod touch") :D I had the exact <br />same problem as you. And tried again to no avail :(