Jailbreaking | Rooting: How does it Affect My Mobile Device?

The two terms, known as jailbreaking and rooting, are merely removing the provider's restrictions on mobile devices running on both operating systems. In the iOS world, jailbreaking a phone means allowing the owner to get full access to the apple device that he/she is using. Rooting, on the other hand, is the android version of jailbreaking, meaning that a rooted android device can customize the maximum extent depending on the user's interest. Many users are generally drawn to jailbreaking and rooting their phones to avoid carrier restrictions and make modifications based on their interests.

When users can modify their devices, they can open various security holes that may put the specific device they own prone to numerous vulnerabilities. Some security threats to a jailbroken or rooted device could be malware, viruses, and spyware. Users can avoid Google or Apple applications, which may help the device be light-weighted, but the security issues are at high risk. Over the next few years, billions of smartphones will replace old-school pcs; with that being the case, this situation will open the door to different mobile crimes and make the cybercrime incidents rise impeccably. A user should be informed about cyber threats and any cyber scams; GARTNER recommends that installing Better Mobile Security on our mobile devices will help protect us from these various threats.

Benefits of Rooting/Jailbreaking related to security

Most security applications that use administrative functions can protect a user's smartphone. For example, a standard smartphone does not have access to a firewall; this is where a rooted or jailbroken device comes in handy. It allows the user to enforce new firewall rules because the device is rooted or jailbroken. The most recent version of iOS enables flexible management of any data access granted to a specific application; every application is allowed access to a particular type of personal data, such as contacts, pictures, and other applications. In android devices, a similar permission system exists, but users are not flexible enough to have numerous management capabilities.

Risks of Rooting/Jailbreaking related to security

Even though jailbreaking or rooting a device has benefits, it's well known that doing that is considered an implicit security issue. Still, not jailbreaking or rooting a device does not mean that a specific device is risk-free; it just simply means that not doing that practice will reduce vulnerability on the device. After all, jailbreaking or rooting a device requires giving administrative access to unknown third-party applications, which means opening doors to different security flaws. For example, a third-party application can install spyware on your device, and that kind of incident cannot be ignored or viewed easily at all. Regardless of the situation, having extra security measures like Better Mobile Security will enhance the security of the device you own.

To sum it up, the risk of jailbreaking or rooting a device is much higher than the simple amount of benefit they provide. After all, the overall security of a person matters more than additional features. As a top-tier security company, Better Mobile Security doesn't recommend going the extra step and doing the practice since it will bring many vulnerabilities. As mentioned above, keeping away from the method does not guarantee the security of the device. However, it will help reduce any risks and complications that come related to the specific process.