First things first, what's a jailbreak?
Well, when Apple made iOS for iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch (that's like Windows Vista/7 for your desktop or laptop), they made sure the security was tight. Imagine your desktop computer. You could install virtually anything on it: Google Chrome, Photoshop, even cracked games that are supposed to cost hundreds of bucks. Now the problem with that is every now and then your antivirus (if you have one) pops up and tells you that the software is unsafe, contains a virus bla bla bla. Apple decided that this cannot be the case for their beloved iDevices, and therefore imposed strict restrictions. Think of your desktop. Imagine that you can only install Microsoft approved software. That's what Apple did. Only apps they approve can be installed, and all apps can only come from the AppStore. Music can only be synced through iTunes. All you can change is the wallpapers of the lockscreen and homescreen. That makes the iOS environment much safer, users install apps without worrying about virus or personal information being stolen.
How all the security features implemented work will not be discussed, but basically Apple has built an imaginary fence around the iOS, and only they have the keys to enter. Now hackers look for holes or weak spots in this fence, and use this hole to enter and work some magic. Sort of like the cat next door that never fails to poop in your garden every morning even though you fenced up your house with spikes and all the repellents possible. There's always somewhere you missed. The 'magic' is that they make the device boot into a jailbroken state, turning off Apple's restrictions to gain 'root' access to iOS and an app called Cydia.
Root Access
Root access basically means you can access the filesystem and modify files. Think of user accounts on your university/office computer. Normal users can run the usual programs, but restricted in certain ways. Maybe you can't install or download stuff, or certain websites/softwares are blocked. When the IT guy comes along, he logs in with his account and he can do everything. Gaining root access basically is getting the login and password of the IT guy. So imagine using a non-jailbroken iPhone. How boring is that? :p
Cydia
Cydia is essentially the AppStore for jailbreak contents. There, you'll find tweaks and themes.
Tweaks: Stuff that changes the way your phone works, such as double pressing the '@' button to automatically insert your email address.
Themes: Anything that changes the appearance of the interface, see lockscreen of the iPhone above.
Cydia is the first non-AppStore app that is installed on your phone upon jailbreaking. The way Cydia work is slightly different. Imagine Cydia as a shopping center, say MidValley Megamall. Within it there's shops like MNG, Forever 21 and G2000. These shops are the equivalent to 'repo's in Cydia. Like clothes suppliers, developers produce all these tweaks and themes and sells them through these stores. For example, the BigBoss repo comes together when Cydia is installed. Others can be added at the user's will.
In conclusion..
The point of commercial jailbreaks is to install Cydia so users can install non-Appstore content. To do so requires root access.
Some notes
1. Not all holes in the fence are usable.
2. I've made hacking and jailbreak sound easy for the sake of simplicity. In real life it's not.
3. This article is based on my understanding of jailbreaks, and is meant to be only an introductory explanation. I do my best to explain it in a way that even a 10 year old can understand.
DZM5YGPR7FXY
Root Access
Root access basically means you can access the filesystem and modify files. Think of user accounts on your university/office computer. Normal users can run the usual programs, but restricted in certain ways. Maybe you can't install or download stuff, or certain websites/softwares are blocked. When the IT guy comes along, he logs in with his account and he can do everything. Gaining root access basically is getting the login and password of the IT guy. So imagine using a non-jailbroken iPhone. How boring is that? :p
Cydia
Cydia is essentially the AppStore for jailbreak contents. There, you'll find tweaks and themes.
Tweaks: Stuff that changes the way your phone works, such as double pressing the '@' button to automatically insert your email address.
Themes: Anything that changes the appearance of the interface, see lockscreen of the iPhone above.
Cydia is the first non-AppStore app that is installed on your phone upon jailbreaking. The way Cydia work is slightly different. Imagine Cydia as a shopping center, say MidValley Megamall. Within it there's shops like MNG, Forever 21 and G2000. These shops are the equivalent to 'repo's in Cydia. Like clothes suppliers, developers produce all these tweaks and themes and sells them through these stores. For example, the BigBoss repo comes together when Cydia is installed. Others can be added at the user's will.
In conclusion..
The point of commercial jailbreaks is to install Cydia so users can install non-Appstore content. To do so requires root access.
Some notes
1. Not all holes in the fence are usable.
2. I've made hacking and jailbreak sound easy for the sake of simplicity. In real life it's not.
3. This article is based on my understanding of jailbreaks, and is meant to be only an introductory explanation. I do my best to explain it in a way that even a 10 year old can understand.
DZM5YGPR7FXY
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Leave a question or comment.