One Step Closer to Jailbreaking Apple’s iPod nano 6G - DFU Mode

Steven Troughton-Smith, an Irish iPhone and Mac developer, is bringing his contribution to the ongoing effort of hacking Apple’s iPod nano 6G. His feat - putting the device into DFU mode, a vulnerable state that allows custom software to be fed to an iOS device.

“After musing with James Whelton about his iPod nano homescreen hack […], I set out to see if there was anything interesting you could do to the iPod,” Steven writes on his blog.

He claims to have “discovered what may be DFU mode,” by holding down the restart buttons until a black screen appears, then the device reboots for a second time, “and iTunes sees the device and alerts you.”

TUAW’s Erica Sadun, also a developer, outlines that entering DFU/Recovery mode is an important aspect of hacking the iPod, as it allows hackers to submit customized software to the gadget, which eventually paves the way for adding modified software.

“So, basically, it seems we can send encrypted firmware files to the iPod, and have them execute, similar to what is used to jailbreak the iPhone,” Steven continues.

He explains that “If the nano rejects the file (i.e. unsigned, invalid), it reboots.”

He modestly asserts that, “While this by itself isn't that cool, hopefully the info will inspire someone else to finally hack this thing and give us custom 'apps'.”

The aforementioned developer and hacker James Whelton, who was able to boot a 6G nano with modified files, also believes there is still much work to be done before this particular iPod model can be jailbroken.

While his springboard hack is touted as “simple”, the bypass of Nano’s cache comparison is something to look at in the future, he believes.

In a December blog post, Whelton added, “the iPod Nano hasn’t been ‘jailbroken’ as some sites claim,” he writes.