Windows Phone 7 FreeMarketplace Proof of Concept Shown
Wondering what would come of jailbreaking your Windows Phone 7 phone? Well, one developer decided to show you (and Microsoft) the dangers jailbreaking could lead to for Windows Phone 7.
He created an app that allows jailbroken handsets (those jailbroken by Microsoft for developers and those unlocked via the ChevronWP7 app that was recently taken down) to take any app from the Market and bypass the security measures that require you to pay for the app. He’s called it FreeMarketplace.
Basically a post showed up on XDA illustrating how to alter XAP files (the app files for Windows Phone 7) so you can sideload them without having to pay for them on to your jailbroken WP7 device. This post was quickly removed but not before other developers figured it out (and this is what FreeMarketplace essentially does).
Now, the developer of FreeMarketplace has NOT released the app (and has no intention of doing so). He simply has shown it working as a proof of concept and is using it to warn Microsoft that they need stronger security measures for their apps. Microsoft has been notified about the security hole and has yet to respond.
NOTE: Now, to clarify, it’s not the jailbreaking that is the issue here (plenty of other jailbroken/rooted devices don’t have this ability), it is the lack of security for the app files that needs to be addressed…
