Why Jailbreak is dangerous

The risks of Jailbreaking and why you should do it

Since Apple is not in charge of Jailbreak development and everything around JB is created by iOS enthusiasts, there’s always a big chance that something might go wrong with the software, hardware, or both sides at the same time. It’s unlikely that you know what every piece of software actually does to your device, especially since there are so many different solutions & tools. So, if you ever want to JB your device, please keep an eye out for potential issues, and only use well-known trustworthy jailbreak apps. But just so you’re aware, even the most popular tools do not guarantee you anything.

Au revoir, warranty

Technically, once a jailbreak has been completed, your iPhone’s warranty is no longer valid and you’re solely responsible for your device. This means that it’s all on you if something goes wrong.

Apple won’t provide support anymore if your iPhone is faulty, even if the cause of your problem has nothing to do with jailbreaking. Okay, well, there is a way to reverse the changes, we’ll tell you about in one of the upcoming articles, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take these things into consideration.

Isn’t jailbreaking legal?

Jailbreaking isn’t illegal in itself as long as you personally own the device (yeah, “own”, you should carefully review all your papers once again before jb-ing). There is no law in the US or the UK against jailbreaking because you’re not technically stealing anything or breaching any copyright laws. However, there are some illegal activities that become possible after jailbreak: downloading paid apps for free, downloading torrents containing unsanctioned copyrighted material, streaming movies & series from paid services for free, etc. And in general, jailbroken devices are known to lure people into illegal activities. However, as long as you’re staying away from any malicious things, JB (in legal terms) is safe for you.

Security risks of an iPhone jailbreak

Another thing you have to keep in mind when thinking about jailbreak is the removal of ‘sandboxes’. On non-jb devices, all apps run in a closed environment, so-called sandbox, so that no app can really affect the rest of the system. This is why iOS devices are super stable and (most of the time) fast & crashless. On the other hand, with jailbroken devices, that sandbox is removed, which means that in theory, installed apps have no more limitations and can make changes to your system or any other important/private files.

In real life, this never happens with official apps, because the code inside apps in the AppStore are not written to interfere with the system. However, it is crucial to research the apps you want to get from Cydia or any other package manager before the actual installation. The main rule of the Internet is still the same: don’t download anything you don’t know about.

But we live in a world full of reviews & blogs called the Internet, where you can find a huge amount of information whether an app or a tweak is worth the risk. So, you must make an educated decision yourself.

Last but not least, you have to be very cautious when downloading hacked versions of popular apps from package managers like Cydia, Sileo, etc. Developers of official apps regularly include different mechanics that ‘punish’ users who install 3rd-party versions of their apps. In the worst possible scenario, you can get a permanent ban and your account will be wiped out, but typically you’ll just get a notification and won’t be able to access the service till you switch to the official app.

Malware

Malware, including worms, were discovered on jailbroken devices a lot during the early days of the jb movement. But, in general, this was not because of the jailbreak itself, it’s all about the apps downloaded by the people who jb-ed their devices and started downloading literally everything in sight. And of course, the chance of getting malware after you jailbreak increases, simply because your security is not as tight as it’s originally designed. However, it is up to users whether they download an app that turns out to be just a piece of malicious software. Once again, if you are not sure what the app you saw on the Internet does exactly, it’s better to not download it.

Privacy

The same rule applies to all the privacy risks. Do not use anything that makes you feel uncertain. On the other hand, Cydia has some apps that can enhance your privacy. For example, an app that allows you to check which usage stats have been uploaded to external servers.

You might not use a VPN on your regular iPhone, but it’s strongly recommended with a jailbroken gadget to remain truly anonymous on the Internet. You can set it up in a regular way, just how you normally would on a non-jb device. This will keep your data encrypted and IP unrecognizable.

Can it be safer after JB?

It’s not a secret, talking about safety, not jailbreaking is always better than jailbreaking. There’s a myth about improving the phone’s security after a jailbreak. But since it’s all about breaking through the system security protocols, jailbreaking does not greatly improve the safety of your device. I mean, it can become safer, but only in some specific cases. Although, if you’re a little bit tech-savvy, there is something you can do to improve your jailbroken gadget’s safety.

For example, why not turn off remote access? It’s also a good idea to re-enable code-signing in iOS after you’ve done a jailbreak. Besides that, you can also enable sandboxing. You can almost bring it back up to the state of the original iOS sandboxing.

But to be fair, all these measures require some serious technical knowledge of what exactly needs to be done. So, if you are going to jailbreak with limited technical expertise, being extremely cautious and following the “do not touch it” rule is the best advice to keep your iPhone secure.

Conclusion

To sum it up, jailbreaking an iPhone gives a user dozens of new amazing features that are not available with the regular iOS. Nevertheless, it eliminates the security measures which Apple has created for a reason. So, you have to be extra cautious when using your jailbroken device as JB greatly increases the level of users’ responsibility.

But if you have some technical knowledge and the ability to handle all the ‘stress’, you can really enjoy the enhanced experience Cydia can offer.
If you don’t want to think about all these challenges or how you’ll have to dig into development stuff, let us do the heavy-lifting: join the NextGen.store, where all you have to do is download the apps — we take care of everything else.