[NewsPoster]

Not one but two well-known hack researchers have now posted evidence of working jailbreaks for iOS 7.1.1, which until now had closed the existing loopholes used by other techniques such as evasi0n. While interest in and use of jailbreaks has waned as Apple has gotten better at closing vulnerabilities, enthusiasts and die-hard customizers continue to want the ability to use unofficial apps or tweak settings in the latest iOS releases.

Stefan Essar, better known in the jailbreak community as i0n1c, posted a tweet with an image of an iPhone 5c that has been jailbroken but is still using iOS 7.1.1. He said that the vulnerability he exploited to accomplish the hack "is not based on a long vulnerability chain. It uses a single beautiful kernel bug that goes from mobile to kernel," meaning it could be difficult for Apple to fix the issue anytime soon.

i0n1c's iOS 7.1.1 jailbreak

Another problem with the hack is that there may not be enough time left in the iOS 7.x cycle to release a widespread installer for jailbreaking. Apple is expected to announce iOS 8 at its Worldwide Developers' Conference next month, with an anticipated fall release date, and jailbreak hackers will likely focus on efforts to provide jailbreaks for that iOS version rather than clean up the current 7.x exploit. A second jailbreaker hacker, winocm, also announced that he has come up with a 7.1.1 jailbreak based on a different vulnerability, but is seeking collaborators to help port and test the exploit on newer iOS devices. He is also said to be starting an internship at Apple soon, which would naturally curtail any further effort on developing the jailbreak. Apple has periodically hired some of the more prominent jailbreakers as security researchers, shrinking the pool of available talent for new jailbreaks.

[msuper69]

Why do you give these little weanies free publicity?

[Gazoobee]

Articles like this make it sound so noble, but it should always be mentioned that in fact, the majority of jailbreaks are done for the purpose of stealing apps and other illegal activity. Everyone knows this, but tech sites still try to perpetuate this myth that just because the guys creating the hacks are cool, that all the users out there that use them are similarly so.

Yes, the guys creating these jailbreaks are great coders and worthy of admiration. No, the entire rest of the jailbreak "community" is not. They are mostly thieves and criminals.

Lionising criminals never looks good.

[chimaera]

Gazoobee, you have a remarkable number of unsupported conclusions there. Congratulations.

in fact, the majority of jailbreaks are done for the purpose of stealing apps and other illegal activity.

Ah, the scary "other activity" category again. A favorite reference for politicians. Oh, and where does the majority fact come from?

Everyone knows this

I did not. I'd guess the majority of people in the world have not heard of jailbreaking, but I've seen no studies proving this.

Yes, the guys creating these jailbreaks are great coders and worthy of admiration. No, the entire rest of the jailbreak "community" is not. They are mostly thieves and criminals.

So EVERYONE in the jailbreak community (except the coders) are unadmirable. Also they're thieves AND criminals. What about the minority that are only thieves, or only criminals?

Perhaps the majority of jailbreak owners wish to exercise their right to control the devices they own. Which they own because they paid for. With real money they earned via employment.

[OkieDoc]

BS. I jailbreak (stuck on a lower iOS 7 for the evasion jailbreak on my iPhone 5) because there are apps an functionality that I have *paid for* on the Cydia store that I want to continue to use.

[makemineamac]

Gazoobee: Over the last few years I have spent $200 or more on legitimate Apps via the Cydia store.

While I agree that at one point there were some Apps that actually promoted stealing, they haven't been around for awhile as far as I know.

While not currently jailbroken, the reasons I jailbroke in the past were legitimate to me. Little things like being able to forward a voicemail I have received to my team if I need to, and other springboard organizational items that just enhanced the experience. There is less reason for me to do it now as the iPhone has evolved. But I'm no thief and won't be labeled as one.

Ignorance is bliss.