Apple Says iOS 10 Kernel Left Unencrypted for Better Optimisation

It’s always been viewed by some in the security community that hiding the kernel from easy access improves security and makes it harder for would-be hackers to find bugs and exploit them. The company is known for its secrecy, and all the previous iOS kernels have been encrypted to keep developers in the dark.

Apple is getting ready to publicly release iOS 10 later this year, but ahead of general availability, the company is pushing out beta versions of the new OS.

On Tuesday, we reported security experts’ surprise that Apple had opened up some code at the heart of a forthcoming version of the mobile operating system that powers iPhones and iPads.

The lack of this main feature in iOS 10 is a mistake or it was left deliberately, is still unclear, but the iPhone maker company confirmed today, that the Apple Inc. According to a report from the MIT Technology Review, it has been suggested that this was done on goal to allow developers and security researchers to discover vulnerabilities within iOS so that Apple can fix them.

Nevertheless, it’s a surprisingly transparent move by Apple to open up the kernel and one that will hopefully lead to performance and security improvements across the board. On the contrary, the possibility of Apple taking a U-turn and encrypting the kernel with iOS 10 final release can not be ruled out. As the pre-installed apps are no longer part of the core operating system, they can be updated regularly through the App Store.

Last week the tech firm released a preview version of iOS 10. However, Apple has started to become more transparent recently. While there’s some room for malicious actions, by having more people looking for security flaws, Apple can be faster at patching said flaws. If, like most people, you have only one phone but you really can’t wait to download iOS 10, here’s what you should do. This is certainly the latest sign that Apple is moving towards being more transparent with security issues.