Apple has turned to the dark side and hired the hacker responsible for cracking recent versions of its iOS mobile operating system.
The hacker, who goes by the name of “Comex” but who is really Nicholas Allegra, has accepted an internship at the company, and also announced he will not be publicly releasing hacks for future versions of the iOS.
During an interview on link-sharing site Reddit, Comex admitted that he may still hack his own iPhone.
Allegra also suggested his time at Apple may only be temporary. “I’ve never had a job before and I don’t know what it’s like – and I intend to go back to college soon,” he said.
During the interview, Allegra admitted that he had made a substantial amount of money from his hacks.
“I’ve made a good amount of money through donations, which is mostly being used to help pay for college. JailbreakMe 2.0 was $40,000 [£24,500]; 3.0 was $15,000 [£9,200].” Apple took two weeks to solve the last jailbreak hack in July this year, which exploited a bug in the way that the iOS handles PDF files.
Jailbreaking a device enables users to download software other than that directly approved by Apple, from locations other than iTunes. However, it also renders the device vulnerable to security risks such as malware – the unbroken iOS is seen as a very secure operating system.
The move comes as Scotland Yard reveals that it has charged a 17-year-old from Chester with conspiracy to do an unauthorised act in relation to a computer.
The teenager has been charged over online attacks by international hacking gang Anonymous and has been granted bail to appear at City of Westminster Magistrates’ Court on 7 September. Peter David Gibson, 22, from Hartlepool, will also appear on that date charged with the same offence.
The hacker “collective” Anonymous has been implicated in a number of online protests targeting eBay, Visa, PayPal and others.
