Thursday, August 7,2008 @ 9:30am
iPhone 2.0 hiding built-in kill switch for apps?
The iPhone 2.0 firmware may contain a means of disabling applications at Apple's behest, investigation reveals. Probing into CoreLocation code has uncovered a reference to an unexpected URL, listed as "https://iphone-services.apple.com/clbl/unauthorizedApps." Visiting the page in a browser like Firefox displays yet more unusual code, containing terms such as "BlackListedApps," "com.mal.icious," "'Description' = 'Being really bad!'" and "Date Revoked."
The data suggests that Apple has remote control over which apps a person can use, likely without regard to whether or not something has been paid for. Mention of "malicious" apps, however, hints that the web code may be meant as a safeguard against software which has become dangerous, rather than unpopular with Apple management.