Apple Hires Expert Hacker to Engineering Team

Via a post uploaded Tuesday to his personal blog, infamous mobile security expert turned iOS hacking heavyweight, Jonathan Zdziarski, announced that he has recently been hired by Apple and will be taking an undisclosed role alongside the Silicon Valley tech-giant’s security engineering and architecture team.

Zdziarski has worked on a myriad of iOS security-related projects over the years, and has even penned a few books on underlying matters, to that effect — including iPhone-specific topics like data and forensics analysis, recovering iPhone data, and another focusing on how to code software for iOS devices.

According to 9to5Mac, as an independent iOS researcher, Zdziarski in 2014 was chiefly responsible for uncovering a so-called backdoor into iPhones, which itself could have resulted in a major issue for Apple had he not brought it to the company’s attention. He’s also worked on a myriad of high-profile, iOS-related security projects over the years. According to his personal profile over on O’Reilly Media, Zdziarski’s research into the iPhone has, over the years, “pioneered many modern forensic methodologies used today.” Interestingly, he’s also been validated by the United States’ National Institute of Justice.

Insofar as what role Zdziarski will be taking at Apple: he was mum on the details, perhaps for obvious reasons, in his blog post. However, he did indicate that he will be working alongside the company’s security engineering and architecture team right out of the gate. What truly drove his desire to get into the role he’s recently taken is his personal vantage point on the superiority of iOS security, and how he’s adamant about Apple’s firm stance on protecting user data — even if it means going against the bureaucratic grain.

“This decision marks the conclusion of what I feel has been a matter of conscience for me over time,” he said in his blog announcing the news. “Privacy is sacred; our digital lives can reveal so much about us – our interests, our deepest thoughts, and even who we love. I am thrilled to be working with such an exceptional group of people who share a passion to protect that.”

 iPhone, iPad, and even Mac users have for long known about the Apple’s hardline stance on protecting their data, so Zdziarski’s hiring should only add fuel to the fire of Apple’s position — and, in turn, its customers’ perceptions especially as we navigate an increasingly volatile mobile security landscape.