Quote:
Originally Posted by Chris
Initial independent testing by labs running jailbroken iPhones suggests that the NHS contact tracing app developers have indeed found a way round the issues many claimed would prevent the app running effectively in the background for any length of time.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-52579547
The NHS has now released the app's source code on GitHub, so further independent scrutiny can occur over the weekend. |
Be interesting to see what people find. Despite the privacy concerns, If the app helps, I will happily install it.
However, the fact they tested on Jailbroken iphones makes me question the results they got. They are not testing like for like. The Jailbreak may well have altered some aspect of the way the OS handles bluetooth.
I have some knowledge of iPhone development (not extensive by any means, but I have written the odd app for my own use). As far as the testing goes, as far as I can see, they should not have needed to jailbreak the phones. Even assuming they couldn't have used android phones to actually monitor the Bluetooth communication, there are a number of devices on the market (for both legal and illegal purposes) that will monitor Bluetooth communication. They could have used one. Assuming the source code published is complete, they didn't even need to jailbreak the device to install the app. They could have compiled it from the source code using their own developer credentials, and installed it via the Apple Development systems and Apple's Testflight app (which enables developers to send a limited number of invites to enable users to install beta versions).