iPhone Firmware Update Makes Hacked iPhones Inoperable

The iPhone is the mobile device that we all want to play with. The problem is that some of us want to play with it more than others, and the companies that make the iPhone and market its services don’t always want you to. This article explains what those companies are doing to spoil the fun, and why.

The Issue at Hand

It is not news that people want to hack their iPhones to give it additional features, or to make it run on the services of another wireless phone provider, such as Verizon or Sprint. The phone has already been hacked by both professionals and hobby hackers alike who didn’t want to leave the phone as it is.

But those savvy end users who have taken the time to capitalize on the possible enhancements that hacking the iPhone that can offer may find themselves in a little bit of hot water when they try to take the newest update that Apple has to offer to users of the iPhone.

The process of making the phone inoperable is known as “bricking.” It has raised some moral issues among end users, who question Apple’s right to do this. Legally, the company has the right to update the phones as they see fit, and generally not support any alterations to the hardware or third party applications.

The moral issue, however, is a little bit more ambiguous. I had a chance to catch up with Dr. Charles Miller, an independent security analyst, and the man who hacked both the iPhone and the MacBook Air, to get his perspective on opening up the iPhone. He had this to say about Apple bricking modified iPhones, “I think it is difficult to have issues with Apple trying to protect their investment by having updates which make adding custom software harder, even if it is designed specifically to defeat the way the ‘cracking’ software works. However, I think it would be very poor if they designed it intentionally to make the phone unusable by any way if it was previously cracked (i.e. even complete software restore would not work to get the phone back to factory settings). If this was an unintended consequence of the update, I couldn’t blame Apple because they can’t know what everyone has done with their cracked iPhone.”

The hack that is getting users of the open iPhone in trouble is specifically the one designed to make the phone available on other service carriers.Ā The hack, which we won’t cover in detail in this post, involved downloading a third party software component, removing the old sim card, using a soldiering iron to alter the hardware of the phone and replacing it with a card from the service provider of your choice. The initial hack was put up by a 17-year-old from Glen Rock, New Jersey, shortly after the phone was released.

The question on the lips of everyone who has a hacked iPhone sitting in their pocket is,Ā what can I do about it?

The first choice available to you is to not take the firmware update if you unlocked the phone. This seems like the simplest of the choices, provided you don’t want the update –Ā and you might not if you can’t go back, and you want your phone to keep on working. The major benefit to usersĀ of this update is access to the iTunes store, and if you don’t want or need that feature, skipping this update may make sense for you.

Just be aware that you are also choosing to skip all other updates that come with the iPhone, as updating is likely to be a cumulative process where you will have to add all previous updates in order to get the most current update, so choose wisely.

Another optionĀ if you haveĀ hacked the phone is toĀ just give up your hacks. That’s right, if you want to get the upgrade then you can just go back to the way it was before. To do this you can just do a few simple steps:

1. Uninstall any illegal software for your phone. Now I am not talking about your original hack software, yet, just your widgets and applications, and anything else that you could only put on the phone because of the hack. You can keep any that are legit. Let’s be honest, you were going to lose them anyway.
   
2. Back up any data that you need from the applications or phone, just in case there is a problem.
   
3. Get out your original sim card — you remember it, it’sĀ that little card that connectsĀ your phone to the phone company. If you want to go back,Ā you have to have your original sim card on hand, otherwise you won’t get very far into this process.
   
4. Take the steps that you need to in order to reset the phone. These steps may vary slightly depending on what you have done to your phone or you can just follow thisĀ guide, adapted from Apple’s iPhone manual.
   
   
   • Turn off your phone.
     
   • Connect the phone to the computer using your USB cable.
     
   • Power the device on with the power button and hold the home button.
     
   • Keep holding the button after you see the Apple logo.
     
   • When the screen says “Connect to iTunes” you can let go of the home button.
     
   • Now you will get a recovery message that says “iTunes has detected an iPhone in recovery mode. You must restore this iPhone before it can be used with iTunes.”
     
   • Click on “OK.”

There is just one note on using recovery for the iPhone.Ā If you have made serious changes to the phone’s hardware you may find that the phone will not go back. Certain changes will make a difference and other won’t; you might want to talk to other people who have used the same hack to find out.

Also, you must do this BEFORE you put the firmware update onto your computer, as the update will render the phone entirely inoperable, and no changes can be made after this point. Users who have tried to restore the phone to its status before the upgrade after it has been downloaded haveĀ found it to have little to no effect.

The move to protect the phones from third party applications has been officially attributed to the desire to protect the network that iPhones run on.Ā While that is a valid concern, this change may have more to do with the impending AppStore that will come as part of the MobileMe feature. This featureĀ will be released on next generation iPhones and be available as an update to current iPhone users. The Store will allow users to buy approved applications in order to increase the functionality of the phone and get new features.

These applications could provide a boost to Apple’s revenue from the iPhone, and free third party applications would cut a major dent into those profits. Dr Miller also commented on this, expressing a view common to iPhone users: “It seems to me if you buy the hardware from the company, it should be yours to do with and modify as you see fit. Just as no one tells me what color to paint my bedroom, or whether I can knock down a wall in my house, I don’t think Apple or any other company should tell me what software I can or cannot load on the hardware I purchase.” While Dr. Miller has no current plans to search for vulnerabilities in the new iPhone, citing the work on his upcoming book, “The Mac Hackers Handbook,”Ā no doubt other will be looking.

Ā DISCLAIMER: The content provided in this article is not warranted or guaranteed by Developer Shed, Inc. The content provided is intended for entertainment and/or educational purposes in order to introduce to the reader key ideas, concepts, and/or product reviews. As such it is incumbent upon the reader to employ real-world tactics for security and implementation of best practices. We are not liable for any negative consequences that may result from implementing any information covered in our articles or tutorials. If this is a hardware review, it is not recommended to open and/or modify your hardware.