Cydia

Last updated
Cydia
Developer(s) Jay Freeman (saurik)
Initial releaseFebruary 28, 2008;16 years ago (2008-02-28)
Stable release
1.1.36 / June 24, 2020;4 years ago (2020-06-24)
Repository
Operating system iOS, iPadOS
Available inEnglish, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Greek, German, Hebrew, Dutch, Polish, Arabic, Vietnamese, Russian etc.
Type Package manager
License GPLv3 [1]
Website cydia.saurik.com

Cydia is a graphical user interface of APT for iOS. It enables a user to find and install software not authorized by Apple on jailbroken iPhones, iPads and iPod Touch devices. It also refers to the digital distribution platform for software on iOS accessed through Cydia software. [2] Most of the software packages available through Cydia are free of charge, although some require purchasing.

Contents

Cydia is developed by Jay Freeman (named "saurik") and his company, SaurikIT. The name "Cydia" is a reference to the moth genus Cydia , notably the Codling Moth (Cydia pomonella), which eats fruits such as apples and pears.

Purpose and function

Cydia provides a graphical user interface (GUI) to jailbroken users using Advanced Packaging Tool (a package manager) repositories to install software unavailable on the App Store. Cydia is based on APT, ported to iOS as part of Jay Freeman's Telesphoreo project. [3]

Packages are downloaded through a list of repositories. Packages are installed through the list of repositories a user has installed. Apps are installed in the same location as Apple's own applications, in the /Applications directory. Jailbroken devices can also still buy and download apps normally from the official App Store. [4] Some jailbreaking tools install Cydia automatically, while others may not.

Software availability

Some of the packages available through Cydia are standard applications, while most packages are extensions and modifications for the iOS interface and for apps in the iOS ecosystem. [5] [6] Some Cydia repositories host open source packages as well as paid modifications for jailbroken devices. These modifications are based on a framework called Cydia Substrate (formally MobileSubstrate). [7]

Many ports of existing POSIX-compliant command line tools are available on Cydia as well, including bash, coreutils and OpenSSH, meaning the device could potentially be used as a full-fledged BSD workstation, although missing some development tools.

Cydia Store

In March 2009, the now-defunct blog TUAW (The Unofficial Apple Weblog) announced that the Cydia Store, the in-app software purchasing system for Cydia, had opened for sales. The announcement also mentioned that Amazon payments was the only option available, but that PayPal would be added in the future. PayPal later became a payment option as well. [8] Cydia stopped accepting Amazon Payments in 2015, leaving PayPal as the sole payment option. [9] After a bug related to PayPal's digital token authorization was discovered via TechCrunch, [10] Freeman decided to shut down the Cydia Store on December 16, 2018.

Security

The risks in jailbreaking are mixed. Advocates offer that developer tools installed from Cydia can help add extra security. [11] However, being able to install untrusted third-party software can cause data loss and malware. [12] Cydia Substrate, the code injection library usually installed alongside Cydia, will detect if an installed package causes SpringBoard to crash, and will reboot it with all third-party packages temporarily disabled. [13]

History

Freeman first released Cydia in February 2008 as an open-source alternative to Installer.app on iPhone OS 1.1. [14]

In August 2009, Wired reported that Freeman claimed about 4 million, or 10 percent of the 40 million iPhone and iPod Touch owners to date, have installed Cydia. [15]

In September 2010, SaurikIT, LLC, announced that it had acquired Rock Your Phone, Inc. (makers of Rock.app). SaurikIT and Rock Your Phone were the two largest providers of third-party apps at the time. [16]

On December 15, 2010, SaurikIT filed a dispute with World Intellectual Property Organization against Cykon Technology Limited of Kowloon, Hong Kong over the rights to the domain name "Cydia.com", which was registered in 2002. SaurikIT contended that Cykon registered the domain name in bad faith and the domain name incorporates SaurikIT's trademark. SaurikIT initially attempted to purchase the domain, then demanded Cykon to forfeit the domain at cost asserting trademark rights followed by bringing a WIPO proceeding. The complaint was denied by WIPO. [17] [18]

As of April 2011, Cydia had a $10 million in annual revenue and 4.5 million weekly users and according to Freeman's $250,000 net annual profit. [19]

On August 18, 2011, [20] SaurikIT filed a lawsuit against Hong Kong owner of Cydia.com regarding the same domain name. [21] [22]

In early 2013, Saurik announced that all of the SHSH data that Cydia had saved for users with devices on iOS 6.0 through iOS 6.1.2 had been corrupted; iOS 6.1.3 SHSH data were unaffected. [23] [24] [25] The TSS Center within Cydia had a notice titled, Where is my "iOS 6.0–6.1.2"? (with a sad face emoji at the end). [23] There was no TSS Center before this incident.

On December 24, 2013, Cydia was updated to run on iOS 7 and iOS 7.1. [26]

On October 22, 2014, the Chinese jailbreaking team, Pangu Team, released a jailbreak for iOS 8.0 - 8.1. In response, Saurik quickly updated Cydia to 1.1.13, which added support for iOS 8 and pushed the update to apt.saurik.com for manual download. [27]

On February 26, 2018, CoolStar launched the initial release of Electra, giving access to Cydia from iOS versions 11.0-11.1.2. Alongside Electra for iOS 11, CoolStar released several patches for Cydia, creating a Cydia version compatible with the Electra jailbreak, as Electra had been released while Saurik was still working on updates for Cydia. Saurik eventually released the update, and pushed the update to iOS devices running iOS 11 with Cydia at the time. CoolStar's patched version of Cydia turned out to be incompatible with Saurik's new update.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Privilege escalation</span> Gaining control of computer privileges beyond what is normally granted

Privilege escalation is the act of exploiting a bug, a design flaw, or a configuration oversight in an operating system or software application to gain elevated access to resources that are normally protected from an application or user. The result is that an application or user with more privileges than intended by the application developer or system administrator can perform unauthorized actions.

iPod Touch Series of mobile devices by Apple (2007–2022)

The iPod Touch is a discontinued line of iOS-based mobile devices designed and formerly marketed by Apple Inc. with a touchscreen-controlled user interface. As with other iPod models, the iPod Touch can be used as a portable media player and a handheld gaming device, but can also be used as a digital camera, a web browser, for email and messaging. It is nearly identical in design to the iPhone, and can run most iPhone third-party apps from the App Store, but it connects to the Internet only through Wi-Fi and uses no cellular network data, as it lacks a cellular modem.

iOS Mobile operating system by Apple

iOS is a mobile operating system developed by Apple exclusively for its smartphones. It was unveiled in January 2007 for the first-generation iPhone, launched in June 2007.

SpringBoard is the standard application that manages the iPhone's home screen. Other tasks include starting WindowServer, launching and bootstrapping applications, and setting some of the device's settings on startup.

iOS jailbreaking is the use of a privilege escalation exploit to remove software restrictions imposed by Apple on devices running iOS and iOS-based operating systems. It is typically done through a series of kernel patches. A jailbroken device typically permits root access within the operating system and provides the right to install software unavailable through the App Store. Different devices and versions are exploited with a variety of tools. Apple views jailbreaking as a violation of the end-user license agreement and strongly cautions device owners not to try to achieve root access through the exploitation of vulnerabilities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Installer.app</span> Freeware software installer for the iPhone

Installer.app was a freeware software installer for the iPhone created by Nullriver and later maintained by RipDev, first released in summer 2007 and maintained until summer 2009. Installer allowed users to install third-party applications into the iPhone's Applications directory where native applications are kept. Users could install applications from a variety of sources provided by software developers or directly onto the iPhone without requiring a computer. Users could browse lists of applications inside Installer to find ones they wanted to install. In June 2009, RipDev dropped support for Installer in favor of developing a different package manager and installer named Icy.

Icy is a discontinued package manager for jailbroken iPhone and iPod Touch, originally created and maintained by Ripdev, which allows users to browse and download mobile apps from a range of sources. Most apps were available to download for free, with some requiring purchase after downloading, including other software created by Ripdev, such as Kate. Apps are downloaded directly to iPhone or iPod Touch and are generally located in the /Applications/ directory, in the same place where "Apple native" apps are located.

Rooting is the process by which users of Android devices can attain privileged control over various subsystems of the device, usually smartphones and tablets. Because Android is based on a modified version of the Linux kernel, rooting an Android device gives similar access to administrative (superuser) permissions as on Linux or any other Unix-like operating system such as FreeBSD or macOS.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jay Freeman</span> American computer scientist

Jay Ryan Freeman is an American businessman and software engineer. He is known for creating the Cydia software application and related software for jailbroken iOS—a modified version of Apple's iOS that allows for the installation and customization of software outside of the regulation imposed by the App Store system.

In computing, a SHSH blob is a digital signature that Apple generates and uses to control the iOS versions that users can install on their iOS devices generally only allowing the newest iOS version to be installable. Apple's public name for this process is System Software Authorization. The term “SHSH blob” is unofficial and based on abbreviations for signed hash and binary large object. An alternative term, ECID SHSH, refers to the device's ECID, a unique identification number embedded in its hardware)

<span class="mw-page-title-main">JailbreakMe</span> Series of iOS jailbreaks

JailbreakMe is a series of jailbreaks for Apple's iOS mobile operating system that took advantage of flaws in the Safari browser on the device, providing an immediate one-step jailbreak, unlike more common jailbreaks, such as Blackra1n and redsn0w, that require plugging the device into a computer and running the jailbreaking software from the desktop. JailbreakMe included Cydia, a package management interface that serves as an alternative to the App Store. Although it does not support modern devices, the websites remain available for compatible devices.

greenpois0n is a name shared by a series of iOS jailbreaking tools developed by Chronic Dev Team that use exploits to remove software restrictions on iPhones, iPads, iPod Touches, and Apple TVs. Greenpois0n's initial release in October 2010 jailbroke iOS 4.1, and its second version in February 2011 jailbroke iOS 4.2.1 as well as iOS 4.2.6 on CDMA iPhones. The second generation of the tool, greenpois0n Absinthe, was developed with iPhone Dev Team members and jailbroke iOS 5.0.1 in January 2012, and a second version jailbroke iOS 5.1.1 in May 2012.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hacking of consumer electronics</span>

The hacking of consumer electronics is a common practice that users perform to customize and modify their devices beyond what is typically possible. This activity has a long history, dating from the days of early computer, programming, and electronics hobbyists.

Sideloading describes the process of transferring files between two local devices, in particular between a personal computer and a mobile device such as a mobile phone, smartphone, PDA, tablet, portable media player or e-reader.

An app store, also called an app marketplace or app catalog, is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the computer itself. Complex software designed for use on a personal computer, for example, may have a related app designed for use on a mobile device. Today apps are normally designed to run on a specific operating system—such as the contemporary iOS, macOS, Windows, Linux or Android—but in the past mobile carriers had their own portals for apps and related media content.

iPad (3rd generation) Tablet computer made by Apple (2012)

The iPad is a tablet computer, developed and marketed by Apple Inc. It is the third device in the iPad line of tablets. It added a Retina Display, the new Apple A5X chip with a quad-core graphics processor, a 5-megapixel camera, HD 1080p video recording, voice dictation, and support for LTE networks in North America. It shipped with iOS 5, which provides a platform for audio-visual media, including electronic books, periodicals, films, music, computer games, presentations and web browsing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evasi0n</span>

evasi0n is a jailbreak program for iOS 6.0-6.1.2, released on 4 February 2013, made by the evad3rs team. An updated version for iOS 7.0-7.0.6, evasi0n7, was released on 22 December 2013. More than seven million copies of evasi0n were downloaded in the first four days after release. It is known for a portable code base and minimal use of arbitrary code execution.

The Pangu Team, is a Chinese programming team in the iOS community that developed the Pangu jailbreaking tools. These are tools that assist users in bypassing device restrictions and enabling root access to the iOS operating system. This permits the user to install applications and customizations typically unavailable through the official iOS App Store.

PP Jailbreak, also commonly known as PP, PP25 App or PP25 Jailbreak, is a term describing a free Chinese app containing tools capable of jailbreaking iOS 8 devices, except for Apple TV. Eligible products include: iPod Touch, iPhone and iPad. This app was developed by a Chinese iOS hacking community known as PP Assistant. It was first released on January 19, 2015

The iOS mobile operating system developed by Apple has had a wide range of bugs and security issues discovered throughout its lifespan, including security exploits discovered in most versions of the operating system related to the practice of jailbreaking, bypassing the user's lock screen, issues relating to battery drain, crash bugs encountered when sending photos or certain Unicode characters via text messages sent through the Messages application, and general bugs and security issues later fixed in newer versions of the operating system.

References

  1. ↑ "gitweb.saurik.com Git - cydia.git/blob - COPYING". saurik.com. Archived from the original on 2013-12-27. Retrieved 2013-12-26.
  2. ↑ Loftus, Jack (September 11, 2010). "Largest iOS Jailbreak App Stores Become One After Cydia Acquires Rock". Gizmodo. Archived from the original on November 13, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  3. ↑ Freeman, Jay (February 2008). "Bringing Debian APT to the iPhone". saurik.com. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  4. ↑ Goodman, Danny (2010). Learning the IOS 4 SDK for JavaScript Programmers: Create Native Apps with Objective-C and Xcode. "O'Reilly Media, Inc.". pp. 6–7. ISBN   9781449302801. Archived from the original on 2024-05-24. Retrieved 2020-10-25.
  5. ↑ Duff, Brandon (July 22, 2023). "How to Get the Most Out of Your Jailbroken iOS Device". Lifehacker. Archived from the original on December 25, 2015. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  6. ↑ Wortham, Jenna (May 12, 2009). "Unofficial Software Incurs Apple's Wrath". The New York Times. Archived from the original on December 22, 2013. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  7. ↑ Foresman, Chris (December 13, 2010). "iPhone jailbreaker set to bring Cydia to Mac OS X". Infinite Loop. Ars Technica. Archived from the original on August 21, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  8. ↑ Rose, Michael. "Cydia Store now open for jailbreak app sales". The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Archived from the original on 2009-09-12. Retrieved 2009-08-02.
  9. ↑ Benjamin, Jeff (2 July 2015). "Amazon removed as a Cydia payment option". iDownloadBlog. Archived from the original on 2016-10-07. Retrieved 2016-10-23.
  10. ↑ Statt, Nick (2018-12-16). "Cydia closes purchases for its iOS jailbreak store". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2022-06-27. Retrieved January 2, 2018.
  11. ↑ Dimitrov, Stefan (2013-12-13). "Privacy and Security Benefits of Jailbreaking iOS" (PDF). www.cs.tufts.edu/. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2018-11-23.
  12. ↑ Grace Johansen, Alison (2019-03-22). "Is jailbreaking legal and safe?". Norton. Archived from the original on 2021-05-02. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  13. ↑ "Mobile SafeMode · Cydia". cydia.saurik.com. Archived from the original on 2021-04-24. Retrieved 2021-05-02.
  14. ↑ Sadun, Erica (2008-02-28). "Debian-style installation arrives on iPhone". The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Archived from the original on 2011-08-28. Retrieved September 24, 2011.
  15. ↑ Chen, Brian (August 6, 2009). "Rejected By Apple, iPhone Developers Go Underground". Wired. Archived from the original on February 23, 2014. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  16. ↑ Sande, Steven (September 12, 2010). "Alliance of the jailbreakers: Cydia acquires Rock". The Unofficial Apple Weblog. Archived from the original on May 11, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  17. ↑ "WIPO Domain Name Decision: D2010-2193". wipo.int. Archived from the original on 2013-06-03. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
  18. ↑ "iPhone Jailbreak App Store Loses Domain Dispute For Cydia.com - Domain Name Wire - Domain Name News & Views". domainnamewire.com. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2012-12-10.
  19. ↑ Shapira, Ian (April 6, 2011). "Once the hobby of tech geeks, iPhone jailbreaking now a lucrative industry". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on March 24, 2012. Retrieved August 2, 2011.
  20. ↑ "SaurikIT v. Cydia.com" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on 2011-12-03. Retrieved October 25, 2021.
  21. ↑ "iPhone Jailbreak Site Files Lawsuit Over Domain Name - Domain Name Wire - Domain Name News & Views". domainnamewire.com. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 17 January 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
  22. ↑ Matt Brian (23 August 2011). "Cydia creator files lawsuit over Cydia.com domain name". The Next Web. Archived from the original on 8 May 2018. Retrieved 18 June 2018.
  23. 1 2 "Saurik: Mistake Renders All of the APTickets Cydia Saved for iOS 6.x 'Useless'". 9 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  24. ↑ "Cydia Updated With New TSS Center To Save SHSH And APTicket". 11 April 2013. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  25. ↑ Freeman, Jay. "Where did my iOS 6 TSS data go?". Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
  26. ↑ "Cydia updated for iOS 7". 24 December 2013. Archived from the original on 5 May 2017. Retrieved 24 March 2014.
  27. ↑ "saurik comments on [Release] Pangu8. jailbreak for ios8-8.1". reddit. 22 October 2014. Archived from the original on 1 December 2016. Retrieved 26 August 2017.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.