iPhone can call Apple and kill unauthorized apps

Posted by Dave Merten Apple ico Aug 7, 2008 at 10:14am

Got unauthorized apps on your iPhone? Well, security expert Jonathan Zdziarski discovered the new 2.0.x iPhone software has the potential ability to phone Apple, check for unauthorized applications and disable them.

iPhone OS 2.x includes a URL (https://iphone-services.apple.com/clbl/unauthorizedApps) that points to a page containing a list of unauthorized applications.

Zdziarski states, “This suggests that the iPhone calls home once in a while to find out what applications it should turn off. At the moment, no apps have been blacklisted, but by all appearances, this has been added to disable applications that the user has already downloaded and paid for, if Apple so chooses to shut them down. I discovered this doing a forensic examination of an iPhone 3G. It appears to be tucked away in a configuration file deep inside CoreLocation.”

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Dave Merten

Dave was one of the founding guides at ‘The Mining Company,’ now known as About.com, in February 1998. Dave was their ‘Focus on Mac Support’ guide. In 2004 he started ‘G5 Owners Support Group,’ and in 2005, renamed it ‘Mac Owners Support Group.’ In 2006, he started the ‘MacOSG Support Corner’ column here at Macsimum News.

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