Cydia enables iOS devices to be Jailbroken which allows Hackers to Circumvent Mobile App Security Protections
What is Cydia?
Cydia is a third-party appstore that can provide access to unauthorized apps, tweaks, and modifications for jailbroken iOS devices. While jailbreaking iOS devices itself is legal in most countries, the use of a jailbroken iOS device to download pirated apps, modify games, or otherwise use copyrighted material without authorization, is generally unlawful worldwide.
As an app developer, you should be concerned about Cydia because it:
- Enables software piracy - Apps from the official App Store can be illegally distributed through Cydia. This results in lost revenue.
- Provides root access - Cydia grants users root access that completely compromises iOS security controls. This makes mobile apps much more vulnerable.
- Allows cheating - Cheating provides unfair advantages in games and can ruin the app experience for legitimate customers.
- Can modify your apps - Users can tweak and hack your apps via Cydia to bypass security protections.
- Undermines app integrity - Code signing is bypassed so your apps can be modified without detection.
- Weakens mobile security - Sensitive data stored locally by your apps is more easily accessible.
- Breaches data privacy - User data can be extracted more easily on a jailbroken device.
Essentially, Cydia enables iOS devices to be jailbroken which then allows hackers to circumvent operating system protections, modify apps without restriction, and compromise security and privacy of users and their data.
As an app developer, you should try to detect and block jailbroken devices and use runtime protections even if bypassing occurs to protect your apps, users and reputation on compromised iOS devices.
