soeren says » Blog Archive » iPhone jailbreaking efforts a security benefit for Mac users?

iPhone jailbreaking efforts a security benefit for Mac users?

October 10th, 2007

So thinks Francois Joseph de Kermadec, anyway. The basic argument: because some people are so eager to get full access to the iPhone’s OS – to access the file system, install applications and learn to build apps of their own as well, whether out of personal interest or merely curiosity – , the OS’s security model is thoroughly tested as a positive side effect. And since those innards are quite similar to the ones in Mac OS X, Mac users are likely to benefit as well when security holes happen to be found in the process.

Win-win.

(The same holds true for WebKit in particular: find a parsing bug, security hole, etc. in any WebKit-based browser, and all others will eventually benefit. That obviously includes Safari on Mac OS X, Windows XP and Vista, the iPhone and the iPod touch, but the same engine is also used on, say, Nokia’s N series cellphone browser. Moreover, Qt 4 will move to it, so Konqueror 4.1 will run it, and Epiphany and other GNOME projects have been toying with it as well. Yes indeed, there’s a a lot of WebKit buzz these days.)

Posted in Chuckellania, Mac, Software, iPhone

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