Leak of Stale iOS Source Code Could Trigger Fresh Problems

Apple lawyers on Wednesday sent a copyright violation notice to Github, following the publication of leaked iOS 9 source code on the site. Though iOS 9 is a dated version of the company's mobile operating system, it's possible that the leaked code could be used to jailbreak older devices or worse.

Publication of the code violated Apple's rights under the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, the attorneys wrote, demanding that the iBoot source code be removed.

"Old source code from three years ago appears to have been leaked, but by design the security of our products doesn't depend on the secrecy of our source code," Apple said in a statement provided to TechNewsWorld by spokesperson Fred Sainz. "There are many layers of hardware and software protections built into our products, and we always encourage customers to update to the newest software releases to benefit from the protections."

Ninety-three percent of users have downloaded iOS 10 or later, and 65 percent have downloaded iOS 11, which includes the latest protections, according to the company.

Source code can be leaked in a number of ways, Apple acknowledged -- voluntarily, accidentally or through malicious intent.

It contributes source code to the open source community, Apple pointed out.