Iconic iPhone hacker George Hotz has quit Facebook and joined a new startup named Backplane. The folks over at BusinessInsider met up with Geohot recently and it looks like Backplane, funded by Lady Gaga and Google Ventures, is keeping him busy with hacking and coding.

Backplane empowers social community. We are a canvas for self-expression. We unite people around interests, affinities and movements. We are just getting started.

During a recent hackathon, Hotz was working on coding a program that would find all your friends on Facebook and put them on a map. Even though their project didn’t win, it’s good to see Hotz back to doing what he appears to be best at. Anyone besides me hoping he’ll become involved in the iOS jailbreak community again?

Source: BusinessInsider

George Hotz, the jailbreak ninja that brought us LimeRa1n for iOS devices as well as the Sony PS3 jailbreak, might just be working at Facebook now.

In a video interview yesterday, Joshua Hill (P0sixninja) a member of the Chronic-Dev Team, confirmed that Geohot had a day job working at Facebook; that is why he declined the offer to help with the iPad 2 jailbreak. Apparently he does not want the attention after being recently sued by Sony.

Also Gabe Rivera of Techmeme, discovered Geohot’s Facebook page and confirmed that the first post at the top of the page said “Facebook is really an amazing place to work…first hackathon over.” The page has now been removed and throws up a message that the content is currently unavailable.

If true, this is an interesting development to say the least . Could it be linked somehow to the three recent Facebook stories which broke last week? We know Facebook is set to release a new photo sharing service, that Facebook was working on an iPad app, and also an  HTML 5 web app store.

Geohot’s efforts to date seem to be in a different area than app development, but even with his experience in breaking security we are sure he would be a great asset!

Video after the break. Do you think Geohot’s at Facebook and if so, what could he be working on?

[MyGreatFest, @gaberivera via Techunwrapped]

Geohot has accepted a challenge from p0sixninja to see who can dump the iPad 2 bootrom first. The iPad 2, with its new Apple A5 chipset, still can’t be Jailbroken and iPhone hacker p0sixninja recently noted that it’s a demanding, time consuming and difficult task very few have the patience, time and skill to do.

Damn, this is one of the slowest progressing jailbreaks ever. I think I kinda miss geohot a bit

The challenge was thrown down via twitter and, according to p0sixninja, Geohot has accepted the challenge (although he doesn’t have an iPad 2 yet.)

This is great news as it can only help in finding a solution for everyone with an iPad 2 that wishes to jailbreak. We will keep you up-to-date as things develop. How many of our readers are desperate to jailbreak their iPad 2′s? Let us know in the comments!

[p0sixninja]

I think Sony’s lawsuit over hacking the PS3 might have driven iPhone Jailbreaker Geohot over the edge… and right into rap! Can he throw down? Watch the video after the break and let us know if he’s Geohot… or not. (Sorry!)

For those who haven’t been following it, iPhone Jailbreaker George Hotz (Geohot) is being sued by Sony for hacking their PS3. It’s not new for companies to take action against hackers. Every time Apple updates iOS they try to close Jailbreak exploits and they even lobbied the US government to try and make sure Jailbreaking wasn’t granted a DMCA exception (Apple didn’t get their way and jailbreaking was given an exception.

While Apple went after the entire process and asked it be ruled illegal, Sony is going after one person in particular, George Hotz. After recently releasing his 3.55 jailbreak for Playstation 3 users, Sony rewarded his efforts by applying for a TRO (temporary restraining order), which was recently granted. As they continue to go back and forth, Geohot has issued a statement to Sony on his own webpage.

Note to Sony:

It’s apparent you don’t care about your reputation with consumers, and I can almost understand your point there. Few people consider buying a TV or laptop a moral choice, and the consumer base is quite large. But talented developers are in much shorter supply, and take it from one personally, who you choose to code for is much more of a moral choice. The programmers you will one day be looking to hire are the ones reading the tech news sites right now.

And they will remember.

I’m not sure what this means for iOS users at this point. If Sony succeeds in their case against Geohot, it’s unclear what if any precedents will be set in terms of other companies suing Jailbreakers. Also, whether or not Geohot will remain an active part of the jailbreak community is uncertain. Seeing as jailbreaking iOS is not illegal, I can’t image he would abandon both communities. One thing is clear, the case will definitely be interesting to follow. If Sony gets their way, will that lead to Apple starting a fire with our very own jailbreak community again? Or has Apple mellowed and Sony taken the lead in anti-community action? Sound off in the comments!

[Geohot]

It looks as if famed iPhone hacker George Hotz aka Geohot, might be coming back again with a jailbreak called Rubyra1n. According to Redmond Pie, Geohot registered the domain name for Rubyra1n on March 27, 2010 when he also registered for Limera1n.com.

Of course this doesn’t mean that it will be out soon or that he will even utilize this as his next release but it could show a possible iOS 4.2.1 untethered jailbreak coming in our future (one can hope anyway!). Gehot isn’t on Twitter anymore (if you’re following someone there, it’s a fake), and has not responded to claims that this will indeed be his next jailbreak tool but it shows that he doesn’t appear to be out of the jailbreak game as he stated previous to his Limera1n jailbreak tool.

As with everything jailbreak we will have to just wait and see what, if anything, occurs. As always if anything changes or we hear anything else we will update and let our faithful #TeamJailbreak fanatics know the minute we know something!

What do you think Rubyra1n will be used for? Is it just a domain name that may never be used, will it bring an untethered miracle to iOS 4.2.1, or could it be saved for another, more crucial update like… iOS 5? (Hey, why not speculate huge!)

[ Redmond Pie ]

iPhone Dev Team’s MuscleNerd has announced via twitter that Comex’s Userland Tools can be used to keep all Apple A4 chipset-based, Jailbroken iPhones, iPod touches, and iPads untethered for all future firmware releases. Coupled with Geohot’s limera1n exploit which will work on all current A4 devices for the duration of their lifespan, and iPhone Dev Teams custom pwnagetool which will keep your baseband unlockable, Jailbreakers can look forward to being up to date with all current firmware releases without any worry of losing their Jailbreak or Unlock status.

• Pwnagetool lets you create custom firmware with older baseband to preserve unlock (iPhone 4 owners can also use TinyUmbrella)
• Comex Userland Tools are built into both limera1n and greenpois0n to keep Jailbreak untethered.
• Geohot Exploit is a bootrom-level exploit that can’t be closed without new hardware from Apple.

Does this make you more likely to Jailbreak? Tell us what you think below or visit our Jailbreak Forum for more.

[@MuscleNerd]

by Farbod

The Dev Team has commented on Geohot’s multiple iOS device jailbreak, limera1n, released yesterday. A bootrom-level Jailbreak for iPhone 3GS (2009/2010), iPhone 4 (2010), iPod touch 3 (2009), iPod touch 4 (2010), iPad (2010), and theoretically Apple TV (2010). which was released yesterday and it’s fair to say it hit the community like a small yield nuclear blast:

Limera1n uses a different exploit than SHAtter, and in fact covers more devices. Although some may question geohot’s dramatic and competitive style, he obviously does have considerable skill pulling this together in just over a day (although he’s had the underlying exploit for months). Credit also goes to @comex, who provides the untethered aspect of limera1n via another one of his growing list of kernel hacks.

The release of limera1n has (hopefully!) averted the burning of 2 bootrom holes at once (both his and SHAtter). Releasing SHAtter now would be a complete waste of a perfectly good bootrom hole in light of limera1n, and so it can be held until Apple closes limera1n’s hole. While there’s no guarantee that Apple won’t also close SHAtter by then, it provides a ray of hope for devices after Apple’s bootrom respin. Meanwhile, look for an alternate implementation of the limera1n exploit in greenpois0n (and possibly other tools), where it should undergo more testing too.

While exploits are how Jailbreak payloads are delivered, they’re also security risks that enable any other type of payload delivery — including malware if bad guys decide to go after iOS. That means Apple has to patch them either in new firmware or in hardware revision that fix more base-level exploits.

The Dev Team also points out limera1n doesn’t appear to be well tested or polished yet, but that Geohot has a history of iterating and improving his releases quickly.

Check out our Jailbreak Forum for help and more information on limera1n and other Jailbreaks. And let us know, do you like this newly competitive, somewhat dramatic Jailbreak landscape or would you rather the various individuals and teams coordinate things better?

[Dev Team]

Geohot has struck first by releasing his limera1n jailbreak for all 3rd gen and 4th gen devices, using Comex’s userland tools to make it untethered. While there was talk of consolidating Chronic Dev Team’s Greenpois0n jailbreak with Geohot’s Limera1n, Geohot has decided to release his first. Chronic Dev Team has responded — angrily — on twitter

Will they go forward with Greenpois0n as planned? Stay tuned…

Note: Before using any jailbreak, make sure you have saved your SHSH and backed up your iOS device with iTunes. If you wish to unlock or keep your unlock, make sure to use TinyUmbrella method to remain at 1.59.00 or wait for pwnagetool’s custom IPSW. TiPb.com is not responsible for any damage done to your iOS device or any lost information as a result of using these jailbreaks.

From limera1n.com

• limera1n, 6 months in the making
• iPhone 3GS, iPod Touch 3G, iPad, iPhone 4, iPod Touch 4G
• 4.0-4.1 and beyond+++
• limera1n is unpatchable
• untethered thanks to jailbreakme star comex
• released today to get chronicdev to do the right thing
• brought to you by geohot
• Mac and Linux coming soon
• follow the instructions in the box, sadly limera1n isn’t one click
• that’s the price of unpatchability

UDPATE: Chronic Dev Team is now reporting that Geohot’s untether is incomplete and unstable.

UPDATE 2: Comex has updated again, via Twitter:

Fine, geohot’s release now has my approval, because otherwise everyone would use the initial (pulled) broken version. Ugh. I don’t guarantee limerain will actually work, though. It also doesn’t work on Mac/Linux… or iPhone 3G or iPod Touch second gen…

UPDATE 3: Chronic Dev Team is now delaying Greenpois0n so as to incorporate Geohot’s exploit and burn their own.

For ongoing updates and discussion, follow the limra1n thread in our Jailbreak Forum.

[limera1n]

By Farbod

Looks like Geohot wants back with limera1n and back in on the Jailbreak scene. Just day after Chronic Dev Team and Comex announced the 10/10/10 release date of Greenpois0n, he has announced his own bootrom exploit, which he wants included in Greenpois0n, no doubt delaying it’s release… What will Chronic Dev Team do? According to the @chronicdevteam twitter account:

We are currently working the “situation” out. Don’t worry, you’ll still get the jailbreak in the end, nothing to be concerned about.

The story of Geohot is well known and his achievements in the iPhone hacking world are well documented…

• He created the first hardware unlock
• Founder of iPhone wiki
• Published the first iPhone hardware unlock for bootloader 4.6
• Found the iBoot Environment Variable Overflow exploit.
• Released purplera1n
• Released purplesn0w
• Independently found the usbcontrolmsg(0×21, 2) exploit.
• Released blackra1n
• Released blacksn0w

Earlier this year, Geohot announced that he was quitting the Jailbreak scene due to constant pestering and criticism from fans and iPhone Jailbreakers whom he said robbed him of the joy of his work. His rumored Limera1n never released. So why now? Why waste an exploit (which will be patched by apple) on an already exploited and jailbroken firmware?

More as this develops.

[limera1n.com]

by Farbod

Geohot has updated his blog to let us know that he’s apparently jailbroken his iPhone 4 in less than one day.  There’s a little caveat though — he’s said he probably won’t release it.  Well I guess my question is, what’s the point in posting it up then?  Most people are familiar with Geohot’s blackra1n and purplera1n jailbreak tools.  They were simple and downright easy.

He also took the time to mention the rumors of limera1n.com — basically stating that it’s no more than a waterdrop on the web and he’s never mentioned it before, so don’t read too much into it.  My opinion? A picture of Cydia on an iPhone 4 is pretty unconvincing.  He certainly has the skills and the record to find an exploit and jailbreak iPhone 4, but why no video, and why no seeming interest in releasing it?

To say the least, the reason for the post is confusing.

As for now, we’ve got PwnageTool 4.0.1 for iOS4, but iPhone 4 users are going to have to wait a while longer.  I guess we’ll see what the Dev Team and Spirit developers come up with.

[ Geohot]

Geohot, the original iPhone hacker, has just posted a huge tease for the must-sought-after iPhone 3.0.x untethered Jailbreak:

The jailbreak is all software based, and is as simple to use as blackra1n. It is completely untethered, works on all current tethered models [iPod touch G2, iPhone 3GS, iPod touch G3], and will probably work on iPad too.

Don’t ask when it will be available, however. Just expect it when you see it.

Video after the break!

YouTube link

Not much to go on yet, other than blackra1n.com going live and Twitter chirping it up as usual, but it looks like Geohot is back on mission and his “one exploit to Jailbreak them all” is on its way.

Jeremy’s keeping an eye on things and will post when there’s something worth posting about, until then how happy are we it wasn’t called chocolatera1n…?

Seems like Geohot, the original iPhone hacker, was set to announce “one jailbreak to rule them all”, or a simple, clean way to jailbreak all current iPhone and iPod devices, when another hacker team, Chronic, announced the same exploit and plans for a tool of their own, dubbed greenpois0n. Geohot responded on Twitter and his blog that, in light of their disclosing the exploit he felt a) they were taking credit for his work and b) Apple would patch it fast enough that it wasn’t worth doing any more.

Hackers, guys, boobalas: as much as the jailbreak community gives all of you all due respect and admiration, get over each other. You don’t owe anybody anything, not even the 3.1OTB (out the box)-hungry community who’s benefitted greatly from your work over the years, but you don’t need to spite the community over each other either. Apple’s the one you have the cat-and-mouse game with, right?

Just do the awesome Jailbreak voodoo that you do so well.

[via nfrederick on the TiPb Jailbreak Forums]

In the past 24 hours we have seen major updates to not one but two software unlocks for the iPhone 3GS. Who says competition isn’t a good thing and who doesn’t love a good old fashion hacker fight? Let’s get it on:

In the red corner we have George Hotz along with his fresh version of purplesn0w RC2.

• 3G(the network speed) issues fixed
• Now only patches one file, CommCenter
• Leaves no traces on your baseband after it runs.
• Much more clean and reliable.

In the blue corner we have the iPhone Dev Team. And since Hotz released his source code, his competition used it to create their latest version of ultrasn0w .09.

• Works on both 3G and 3GS
• Doesn’t patch any mach-o binary whatsoever. (Doesn’t require a separate patch as each new firmware comes out).
• Has no race conditions, no popups about “Missing SIM”, no network issues
• Is almost 7000 times smaller than its nearest competition

So there you have it – two software unlocks for your iPhone 3GS and one update for your iPhone 3G unlock. You have to credit George Hotz for stepping his game up when the Dev Team has been dragging their feet. It really seems to have sparked up a good rivalry that we can all benefit from.

There is one major question though, how do you score the match?