Apple is reportedly working on a new security system for iOS and Mac called "Rootless," which will supposedly prevent malware and make it difficult to jailbreak the iPhone, according to a new report from 9to5Mac's Mark Gurman.
Jailbreaking, which commonly refers to intentionally modifying your iPhone or iPad's default hardware through software exploits in order to download outside apps and features, has long been a thorn in Apple's side.
In his report, Gurman says that Rootless will be a major new security system that will be baked into both iOS and Mac operating systems.
It's designed to protect sensitive files from being tampered with, which could deal "a heavy blow to the jailbreak community."
While perfectly legal under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, Apple has said that jailbreaking "can violate the warranty" on your device, and has actively taken steps to make it more difficult to jailbreak its devices through software updates.
From a consumer standpoint, some people prefer to jailbreak their iPhone, iPad, or Apple TV in order to install custom apps or features that aren't available or allowed on Apple's official iOS operating system.
Some also jailbreak their device to download unauthorized free versions of paid media and apps.
With Rootless, it sounds like Apple will have an easier job discouraging and preventing jailbreaking, preventing "even administrative-level users from being able to access certain protected files on Apple devices," according to Gurman.
Since it's these protected files that will likely need to be accessed in order to successfully jailbreak an Apple device, Apple appears to tightening security around these files to lessen the chances of a successful jailbreak from being discovered.
The report, however, mentions that you may be able to disable Rootless on a Mac.
Gurman writes that "sources within Apple are particularly enthusiastic" about Rootless, though the hacker community will likely see the new security system as its newest hurdle to overcome.
According to the report, Apple is expected to reveal Rootless alongside iOS 9 and Mac OS X 10.11 at its Worldwide Developers Conference on June 8th.
To read Gurman's entire walkthrough of upcoming iOS 9 and Mac OS X 10.11 features, head on over to 9to5Mac.
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