Want to write for iPhone Alley? We're hiring!

Home ›

Zibri Finds iPhone Video Bug

Submitted by Edward Kirk on November 3, 2008 - 5:15pm.
in

Zibri is back once again, and he brings news of a new bug. He first wrote about it back in September, but didn't offer any details. Since then he's apparently tried to apply for a job at Apple, but they have yet to get back to him. So, rather than continue to wait around, he's preparing to reveal the exploit to the public.

Zibri claims the exploit is "extremely serious", and affects a code library that Apple uses in their operating systems in relation to a video format. Using knowledge of this, it is possible to create a video file that would crash the device when opened.

Allegedly there is no permanent damage done to the system by the exploit, but it would be annoying. Forbes magazine tested his exploit themselves, and have verified it to be real.

Zibri also claims the same exploit, or one similar to it, could affect Apple's Mac computers and iPod line.

[via Forbes]

Oh no!

Submitted by kellygeorge on November 3, 2008 - 7:36pm.
oh no! A video could crash the iphone?!

Big deal. My iphone crashes 10 times a day trying to load webpages in Safari. So if it causes no real problem, then who cares? I see it like this:
1. Load video onto iphone
2. Try to play it ...CRASH!
3. Reboot
4. Try to play it again...CRASH!
5. Say "to hell with it" and delete the video.

Problem solved.

Submitted by Izzard on November 3, 2008 - 7:44pm.
There's only one thing that annoys me about this "news" and that is that Zibri did not discover the crash bug at all. *I* did and I told him about it months ago in an IRC chat. I have the original video that I constructed to demonstrate it, too, if you fancy blogging about that? And don't worry, it's not an exploit - it just crashes the mediaservd on iPhone, taking down the whole device - or Quicktime on Windows / Mac, causing sound problems.