A while back, it was revealed that a vulnerability within OS X / iOS left users potentially susceptible to a DoS-like attack. Although Apple is usually fairly swift in clearing up any issues that could defame the relatively secure nature of its major ecosystems, renowned jailbreak developer Filippo Biga has come through with a tweak-based solution for those on jailbroken iOS devices.
Since, without a jailbreak, there’s no way to reach those system files deep within iOS’s make-up, you will need to be jailbroken in order to install GlyphPatch, the tweak patching the security hole.
The DoS attack could be triggered by a hacker through various mediums, including SMS, iMessage, or network SSID, so protecting yourself by downloading this free tweak is highly recommended.
It doesn’t appear, from the release notes, to be a foolproof solution, rather another line of defense against the problem.
The vulnerability causes apps to implode when attempting to render a malicious sequence of code, and with iMessage having come under scrutiny in the past for its lack of spam prevention features, it is, at least, good to know that steps are being taken to rectify the situation with iOS 7.
So, while some tweaks are simply there for enjoyment or to enhance the general usability of iOS, this one is more along the lines of housekeeping. Downloading and installing GlyphPatch is highly recommended, and comes absolutely free of charge from the BigBoss repository – default in your Cydia source list provided you haven’t opted to manually delete it.
You won’t notice it is even there, since it takes up only a few KBs of storage and has no configurable settings, but at least you’ll have a little added peace of mind knowing you’re less susceptible to attack as a result.
No matter how secure your device may feel, make sure you go ahead and download this tweak. The DoS attacks are not particularly widespread at this point in time, but if device security is near the top of your agenda, GlyphPatch will only take a couple of minutes to install, therefore it’s highly recommended that you do so.
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