Hackers’ efforts to unlock Apple iPhone fruitless so far

“Hackers are working to unlock Apple Inc.’s iPhone, but the job appears to be more difficult than initially expected,” Sumner Lemon reports for IDG News Service.

“Hackers had hoped that modifying the iPhone’s bootloader — the program that runs before the operating system is loaded — would unlock the handset. But that turned out to be a dead end, as the bootloader code must be signed using a 1,024-bit RSA private key employed by Apple,” Lemon reports.

“The iPhone is locked for use with AT&T Inc.’s EDGE network. Unlocking the iPhone will allow the handsets to be used with other operators, including carriers in Asia and Europe, where the phone is not yet available,” Lemon reports.

Full article here.

57 Comments

  1. What part of “different radio hardware” don’t these people understand? This phone will not work on Verizon or Sprint or even Telus (in Canada) simply because of different radio hardware. It may allow for it to run on some European networks, but the 3G hardware just isn’t there.

  2. Hopefully it will be unlocked soon. It’s only a matter of time. Who wants to be locked to one carrier? Especially after the two year contract, if you wanted to go with another GSM provider, or use your phone in another GSM country with a different SIM card…

    m/w : effort.

  3. This will be a great example of the diffence between Mac OS X and the rest..

    They can but try.

    And there will be excuses…like why bother it’s only 0.1% of the mobile market to date..(ho ho the irony!!!).

  4. @Farlo? You actually use voicemail? Even Visual V-mail sucks.

    And there HAS been progress:

    “This is our last major hurdle to overcome in order to write programs for the phone,” they said last week.

    Once hackers have the ability to write programs for the iPhone, they can write one to unlock the handset, they said.

    The iPhone is locked for use with AT&T Inc.’s EDGE network. Unlocking the iPhone will allow the handsets to be used with other operators, including carriers in Asia and Europe, where the phone is not yet available.

  5. the bootloader code must be signed using a 1,024-bit RSA private key

    Unless someone provides the hacker with the key, a 1k-bit encryption key takes more than few months to hope to crack it. If you have Langley, VA computing power at your disposal, that is.

  6. The reason nobody has hacked their way into the sucky iPhone is simple: NOBODY CARES!—just like nobody is interested in writing viruses for MACS. I haven’t seen one of these things out in the wild and I probably never will.

    Look, I build my own PC’s and save a lot of money in doing so, and I know how to tune Windows to get maximum performance out of my games. I bet if I gave a crap I could get into the iPhone. Piece of cake.

    Don’t worry, Apple lemmings. Hackers have bigger fish to fry.

    Your potential. Our passion.™

  7. What makes me laugh is that even if they do crack the iphone and it is unlocked there is no way that the phone will work on other carriers networks anyway.

    There is hardware built-in to the iphone that also stops this.

    Apple will suply an update and they will have to start all over again trying to hack it.

    Keep trying guys – as someone said earlier WHAT A FUCKING WASTE OF TIME.

    Go out and get a real job!

  8. re The reason nobody has hacked their way into the sucky iPhone is simple: NOBODY CARES!—just like nobody is interested in writing viruses for MACS. I haven’t seen one of these things out in the wild and I probably never will.

    Look, I build my own PC’s and save a lot of money in doing so, and I know how to tune Windows to get maximum performance out of my games. I bet if I gave a crap I could get into the iPhone. Piece of cake.

    Don’t worry, Apple lemmings. Hackers have bigger fish to fry.

    Your potential. Our passion.™

    —–

    Youre an asshole.™

  9. Unlocking the iPhone will allow the handsets to be used with other operators, including carriers

    Except for one little problem. The other carriers will not add an iPhone to there service for legal reasons. End of story.

  10. Most of us that want to see an unlocked iPhone, do not live in the States, but want one NOW

    I would gladly sign on with ATT

    We will not see an iPhone for a looong time, they havent even mentioned latin America (Mexico)

    we waited 3 years for the Razr

  11. Petey gets it. Thanks, Petey. Why can’t more of you Apple lemmings take the high road like Petey?

    I find her posts to be thoughtful and pleasant without all the expletives, bad grammar and spite which is so typical of you MAC losers’ posts. Just because nobody actually buys Apple crap—but a demented few—is no reason to lash out at the world in such an ugly fashion.

    Your potential. Our passion.™

  12. @Zune Tang

    Ha, I saw 4 iPhones in the wild the day after they were released. And everyone I have asked about them LOVE them. Now the Zune….they were released in what, October? I still have yet to see one in the wild. I’ve only seen them at the stores, gathering dust.

    The reason Zunie is starting to get so emotional in his responses is he can’t find anyone else with a Zune to squirt with.

    It’s SO lonely in the “Social”.

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