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Posts tagged jailbreaking

Tips and tricks for avoiding iPhone spyware

Tips and tricks for avoiding iPhone spyware

Most iPhone users used to laugh at their Android counterparts whenever the subject of Android spyware or malware would surface; but we live in changing times and most iPhone users are now finding that they’re not all that different when it comes to apps stealing and misusing their personal data. Apple itself has come under fire for acting like most cell phone spy software does – it even had a class action lawsuit filed against it for privacy invasion. The saddest part is multiplatform malware is now riding the iOS wave with the most recent one hitting Windows through app strategically placed in the App Store. However, the more important point is that iOS isn’t safe from malware/spyware, but with a few precautions most iOS lovers can keep their devices clear from all malware or spyware infested waters.

They’re like cockroaches

Since they can hide so well sometimes and then they’re in your face. While nuclear blasts can’t kill them an effective insecticide does the job pretty quick – let a decent antivirus do the same for the malware/spyware on your iOS device. Just like there’s malicious apps that can hurt your iPhone there are apps designed to find problems and rid your life of them. So do a scavenger hunt on the App Store and find yourself an app that can not only find existing problems but protect your iPhone from future trouble as well.

No get out of jail free card

There really isn’t one for people who jailbreak their phones. What you’re effectively doing is ensuring that your iPhone doesn’t have a warranty – and of course jailbreaking does a little more than just let you have free apps, it creates a free pass and multiple opportunities of infiltration for malware as well. While the App Store has of late started having trouble with malware the fact is that Apple has an A+ on its report card when it comes to finding and destroying malware so far. And iPhone’s that haven’t been jailbroken were touted as virtually impossible to penetrate for a long while – with Apple waging war against malware with such tenacity one should feel a little more secure. However, a jailbroken iPhone is another story altogether.

No poison Apples

Apple won’t feed you one. If you venture outside the realms of the official App Store you have no one to blame but yourself for the repercussions. The trouble with iPhone, which is much the same as the trouble with Android phones, is that it won’t allow you to choose what permissions you hand over to your apps. You either give them what you want or you don’t install them. In that case venturing to the outside world for an app maybe a catastrophe because you don’t know what information or data your app maybe sending off somewhere else, but if it’s from the App Store at least you can sure it doesn’t have any malicious intent.

When there isn’t a door don’t open a window  

If you don’t want an app to have access to everything in your phone then don’t install it. You can’t control every aspect of permissions; once you install an app it takes what it wants. In some cases this has proved to be a problem because information has then been taken and sold to advertisers at large. Go through the permissions on your app properly before you download it. Twitter of all people admitted to storing user data even if they’ve deleted the app for Twitter itself. If big tech firms can’t respect your privacy you really can’t trust small developers to. Whatever detective work you want to do has to be done before you install the app and use it, once it’s on your system the information it touches may not be as easily erased.

Author Bio:

Natalia David has become a reliable name in the sphere of technology. Her work has earned her great recognition from readers who appreciate it for keeping them up to date with the latest happenings in the trade of the technology world. You can also follow her on twitter @NataliaDavid4

How to Downgrade iPhone 4 from iOS 4.3.4 to 4.3.3

How to Downgrade iPhone 4 from iOS 4.3.4 to 4.3.3

I attempted this last night and realized that all the guides online were lacking a good description of what to do, especially when it came to getting stuck on the recovery mode loop. Here is my attempt on clarifying the guides I have found to successfully get your phone downgraded.

  • Make sure your SHSH for 4.3.3 is backed up on saurik’s server. You can find this out by using tinyumbrella. You will need tinyumbrella, so download it even if you know your SHSH is backed up.
  • Backup your phone in iTunes
  • Download a copy of the 4.3.3 firmware here
  • You’ll need to set your device into DFU mode, by taking the following steps:
    • Connect the device to your computer, turn it completely off, by holding the power button and sliding your finger along the red slider, just like you normally would, then launch iTunes.
    • With your device still plugged in, press and hold both the power and home buttons for 10 seconds.
    • After 10 seconds, release the power button but keep pressing the home button for 10 more seconds. At this point, your screen should be completely black. If you see the iTunes logo, you’re not in DFU mode.
  • Open TinyUmbrella, click start TSS Server
  • Open iTunes, it should say it has discovered a device in Recovery Mode and must be restored.
  • Hold shift and click on restore
  • Navigate to where you downloaded the 4.3.3 firmware.
  • iTunes will go through the installation.
  • When done, I received an error code 1013 (This is after you see iTunes go through the process of installing the operating system, after 10 minutes or so.)

This is where I got stuck.

  • You’ll need to download fix recovery
  • At this point, your iPhone will be showing the icon on the screen, directing you to plug it into iTunes (stuck in recovery mode)
  • Open Fix Recovery, fixrecovery43.exe (If it says you are missing a DLL file, google that file, and place the file into the same directory as the Fix recovery.)
  • It will start going, and say waiting for phone to be in DFU mode.
  • Put your phone into DFU mode again, by following the steps above.
  • When it finishes running, your phone will just need to be activated by plugging it into iTunes and you should be ready to go.

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