WiFi Tethering App snuck into Apple App Store

[SifJar]

A 15 year old managed to sneak a WiFi Tethering App into the Apple App Store recently. It was disguised as a flashlight app and cost 99 cents, but once it was released the dev released a YouTube video showing how to use the app for tethering without paying your carrier's tethering fee. It has since been removed from the App Store, but its still note worthy IMO in the fact that a 15 year old managed to fool Apple like this. Tethering was triggered by tapping the colours for the flashlight in a certain order and then tapping the top right corner, unlocking a hidden purple light, and also enabling tethering.

Source: http://www.engadget.com/2010/07/20/handy-l...ethering-video/

 

[PyroSpark]

That's epic. xD

 

[GameSoul]

That's pretty win.

 

[Theraima]

Poor Apple.. Even teens can screw them. Sad.

 

[Scott-105]

That's funny! I'm sorry but this is a pretty big fail on Apple's part.

 

[Bladexdsl]

Poor Apple.. Even teens can screw them. Sad.

oh it's not that hard as long as you use this

 

[Scott-105]

Poor Apple.. Even teens can screw them. Sad.

oh it's not that hard as long as you use this

snip

That made me lol

 

[Bladexdsl]

well that's how you screw an apple isn't it?!

 

[Forstride]

well that's how you screw an apple isn't it?!

No, that's how you peel an apple.

On-topic: That's a win on his part, and a big fail on Apple's part.

Hackers and programmers are never going to be stopped, no matter what companies do to prevent stuff like this.

 

[ProtoKun7]

Great story.

I love how Apple can fail. :')

 

[IchigoK2031]

I believe there was an app that did this before...I forgot what it was... :/

 

[Delta517]

Haha!

Apple fails again.

 

[BobTheJoeBob]

It's just one fail after another. Apple need to do something about their constant fails.

 

[SifJar]

I believe there was an app that did this before...I forgot what it was... :/

Netshare. Didn't try to hide it and was on and off the app store a few times for a day or two, a couple of years ago.

 

[BlueStar]

Tip my hat to the young gent.

Isn't this seriously concerning from a security poitn of view though? I mean, an app got on to the app store with hidden code that Apple would have not allowed through if it'd spotted it. In this case it was a cool little easter egg with a useful exploit. But what would have stopped him hiding something in this 'flash light' that stole your banking details, or harvested your phonebook for numbers to SMS spam?

 

[BobTheJoeBob]

Tip my hat to the young gent.

Isn't this seriously concerning from a security poitn of view though? I mean, an app got on to the app store with hidden code that Apple would have not allowed through if it'd spotted it. In this case it was a cool little easter egg with a useful exploit. But what would have stopped him hiding something in this 'flash light' that stole your banking details, or harvested your phonebook for numbers to SMS spam?

That would of caused apple some serious problems. But I don't think anyone would risk trying that, if they get caught they'll get put in jail and the likelihood of them getting caught is quite high.

 

[SifJar]

Tip my hat to the young gent.

Isn't this seriously concerning from a security poitn of view though? I mean, an app got on to the app store with hidden code that Apple would have not allowed through if it'd spotted it. In this case it was a cool little easter egg with a useful exploit. But what would have stopped him hiding something in this 'flash light' that stole your banking details, or harvested your phonebook for numbers to SMS spam?

That would of caused apple some serious problems. But I don't think anyone would risk trying that, if they get caught they'll get put in jail and the likelihood of them getting caught is quite high.

I dunno. If he hadn't actually TOLD people, I highly doubt anyone would have ever figured this out. Perhaps they'd have found out how to get the purple screen. But they wouldn't have tried connecting the phone via ad-hoc network to a computer and setting the computer to use a SOCKS proxy on port 1337 of the iPhone. And something that silently steals your info and sends it on isn't going to give its self away by a purple screen or anything. It'll just do its stuff in the background without you knowing.

This is potentially a security nightmare. Who knows how many apps have managed to get it with hidden "features"?

But on the other hand, its pretty cool

 

[triassic911]

Makes me wonder if there are other apps with similar hidden functions.

 

[BakuFunn]

Everyone's going "HAHAHA APPLE FAIL CAUSE THEY GOT FOOLED BY HACKERS HAHAHAHA"




Nintendo must fail fifty hundred fucking times harder.

 

[dinofan01]

Everyone's going "HAHAHA APPLE FAIL CAUSE THEY GOT FOOLED BY HACKERS HAHAHAHA"




Nintendo must fail fifty hundred fucking times harder.

Stop being such an apple fanboy. When Nintendo fails its good for us because we get a exploit to hack. When Apple fails its just funny because of their strict attitude can be shot down by a clever teenager.