Apple iOS 4.1 Jailbreak Reportedly Discovered

A jaibreak has reportedly been discovered for Apple iOS 4.1, the latest version of the operating system.

iOS jailbreaking allows iPad, iPhone and iPod Touch users to have root access to their device and install applications unauthorized by Apple. According to reports, pod2g of the Chronic Dev Team has successfully developed a jailbreak using a bootrom-based exploit of the mobile operating system.

Jailbreaking was recently ruled legal after the U.S. Copyright Office and Library of Congress sided with the Electronic Frontier Foundation's contention that jailbreaking did not violate the Digital Millennium Copyright Act.

Apple released iOS 4.1 Sept. 8. In addition to several security patches, the upgrade also brings Game Center, iTunes TV show rentals and the Ping social networking service to users.

In August, developers released a Web-based exploit to jailbreak devices running iOS 4.0.1. Apple later released a patch to address the issue.