For those that want to truly personalize their phone, jailbreaking has always been an excellent way to make your device truly yours. However, Microsoft has released an update to Windows Defender for Endpoint that will sound the sirens if it detects a jailbroken iOS phone on a company network.
Microsoft’s Newfound Hatred Of Jailbroken iOS Devices
Microsoft announced its stance on jailbroken iOS devices on its Tech Community website. The tech giant discusses its update to Windows Defender for Endpoint and why it will suddenly detest these specific devices.
Just to clarify, Windows Defender for Endpoint is not the same as the one you run on your Windows 10 computer at home. This one is a special kind of Windows Defender designed for businesses, so it considers every threat on a company-wide level instead of a personal one.
As such, if you work for a business that uses Windows Defender for Endpoint, you should perhaps avoid putting a jailbroken iOS device on the company network from now on. As the post states:
Jailbreaking an iOS device elevates root access that is granted to the user of the device. Once this happens, users can easily sideload potentially malicious applications and the iPhone won’t get critical, automatic iOS updates that may fix security vulnerabilities.
As such, Windows Defender will now alert the security team if it detects a jailbroken iOS device on the network. The team can then deny any unauthorized devices from connecting.
Unfortunately, there’s a very low chance you can sneak your favorite iPhone onto your company’s infrastructure without them noticing. Microsoft will mark all jailbroken iOS devices at the highest level of security risk, and inform the security team that you’re trying to perform “defense evasion.”
As such, if your workplace uses Windows Defender for Endpoint, you might want to put your jailbroken iPhone on data. Otherwise, you may cause a minor emergency just for checking YouTube during lunch break!
Hunting Down Jail Escapes
With the new update to Windows Defender for Endpoint, jailbroken iOS devices will now be flagged at the highest security vulnerability level. As such, don’t be surprised if your company’s network suddenly doesn’t want to let your phone on it.
That being said, Microsoft does have a point. One of the downsides to jailbreaking your iPhone is that it can’t receive firmware updates, meaning that any exploits found in its security will go unpatched.
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