Apple's "in-app purchase" service for iOS bypassed by Russian hacker

A Russian hacker has unveiled a service that allows users of Apple iOS devices to pirate digital books, premium game levels, and other content sold through the company's in-app purchase program.

The new service, which has already been subject to attempts at shutting it down, requires no jailbreaking and only minimal configuration changes. It works by funneling purchase requests through a server operated by the hacker, rather than the legitimate one offered by Apple. As a result, charges that normally would be applied to a user's account are bypassed. A video demonstration shows an iPhone running a prelease version of iOS 6 using the service to obtain free content, but the service says it works for all devices that use iOS 3 or later.

A note to readers: in addition to legal and... [via Ars Technica]