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Apple Changes Habit of Lifetime to Leave iOS 10 Kernel Code Unlocked
Posted On Jun 25 2016
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In a shocking move, Apple has released the preview for the iOS 10 to developers with its kernel completely unencrypted.
iOS 10 is set to launch publicly this fall with other major features coming Messages, Photos, Siri, the Lock Screen, Notification Center and more.
MIT Technology Review reports that anyone can examine the iOS 10 Beta kernel code, while Apple has encrypted all previous iOS kernels.
Apple released the first developer preview of iOS 10 at WWDC last week with many new features, but did not mention that a big surprise was waiting for developers at the core of the operating system.
According to BBC News, tech experts say that the move could make it harder for organizations to keep secret technique they have used to overcome privacy measures on Apple devices. The reverse is also true: Apple’s unencrypted kernel also means that there will be a lot more eyeballs looking for these kind of vulnerabilities and, ideally, disclosing them to Apple for fixing. “The kernel cache doesn’t contain any user info, and by unencrypting it we’re able to optimize the operating system’s performance without compromising security”, an Apple spokesperson said. The effort should make it easier for security researchers to catch software flaws that could otherwise be exploited by cyber attackers.
After years of touting itself as the company that didn’t access its users data, Apple has finally acknowledged that it really does need at least some collective understanding.
Differential data is making its debut with iOS 10 and Apple says it has not yet been collecting such data. It not only enforces security protocols, but also controls how apps can use the hardware components of the device. Leaving it unencrypted will allow security researchers for the first time to play around with the core of the iOS and look for potential weaknesses. Apple had initially declined to explain the change, which led many to believe that the company had perhaps made an embarrassing mistake.
