Hacker shows off his latest achievements, schedules software release for later

Mar 26, 2010 09:37 GMT  ·  By

Hacker extraordinaire geohot has confirmed the existence of a new, untethered jailbreak for new-generation Apple devices running the latest iPhone firmware. The updated tool (which is similar to Blackra1n) is not available to the public yet, but when it’s released, it will be able to effectively jailbreak the latest iPhone 3GS, the second- and third-generation iPod touches and, perhaps, even the iPad, according to geohot.

The hacker, who gained international attention in summer 2009 for releasing the first iPhone 3GS jailbreak solution, has updated his blog with new information on his achievements on the jailbreak front. According to geohot, the latest untethered jailbreak via a Blackra1n-like tool, “is all software based.” He adds that, “It is completely untethered” and that, “[It] works on all current tethered models (ipt2, 3gs, ipt3), and will probably work on iPad too.” “Don't ask about a release date. You won't make it happen any sooner,” geohot stresses.

The post includes a link to a video demonstration of the tool in action. Performed on the latest iPod touch model, the hack was videotaped according to the rules that governed a good jailbreak video, geohot says. “A good jailbreak video can't be faked by other means,” a post over at iphwn.org, an iPhone Dev Team portal, reads. “For an ‘untethered jailbreak,’ a video should meet these requirements,” the text adds:

1. Unobscured iPod Touch 3G (“ipt3g”) in full view at all times resting on a table with nothing connected except earbuds 2. Show “Voice Control” app working 3. Reboot ipt3g using keypresses 4. When ipt3g comes back, install a Winterboard theme that changes your homescreen background. To make the video even shorter, already have this theme installed and just show it still working after the reboot, with your non-black homescreen background (what shows up behind your app icons).

The iPod touch 3G recommendation is to prove that the latest bootrom is in use. The connected earbuds prove it's not an iPhone 3GS, since the iPod touch features a different earbud location, while running “Voice Control” proves it's not a second-generation iPod touch. The video in question can be watched below. Softpedia will keep its eyes peeled and its ears to the ground for any announcement regarding the respective jailbreak tool.

It is worth noting that the iPhone Dev Team is also hard at work on exploiting the latest software version for the third-generation iPod touch via its PwnageTool hack for Mac OS X. However, unlike geohot, the team is yet to announce any progress.

Also worth noting is that we can expect these jailbreak tools to include iPad support, since Apple's tablet merely runs an enhanced version of the iPhone OS. However, Softpedia believes that Apple will take extra steps to ensure that iPhone OS 3.2 is protected against these hacks, as it invests heavily into the deals signed for getting content onto the tablet device.