Sketchy hack brings full Siri to iPhone 4, iPod touch
updated 11:40 am EST, Mon December 5, 2011
Feeds personal info to third-party server
The first hack to bring all the features of Siri to other devices has been released on Cydia, the distribution network for jailbroken iOS software, reports say. The 100MB software is called H1Siri, and available via two Cydia repositories, Cydia.be and iphone3gsystem.fr/cydia. Currently the code works on both GSM and CDMA iPhone 4 models, as well as the fourth-generation iPod touch.
The hack is considered potentially unsafe, however. It's the product of a Chinese hacker group knows as CD-Team, and is said to rely on cracks that may make it illegal. It moreover passes personal data to a third-party server, which could represent a security threat.
Possibly because of the use of a third-party server, some people have been complaining of occasional connectivity problems. To handle Siri proper, Apple is believed to be relying on facilities such as its North Carolina data center, in which the company has already likely invested over $1 billion. The building primarily copes with traffic from iCloud.
