Apple started its mobile AppStore a while ago and things were really cool and innovative to start with. The moment Cydia and other groups started thinking about Apple’s closeness strategy and wanted to go out of the way to make room for custom development, security issues started on a smaller scale.

First iteration started with Unlocking ability and exposing API’s to write custom themes, apps and other interesting utilities.

Second iteration is to trap and release different MobileSubstrates. These substrates introduced a way for illegal ways to cracking apps and doing malicious things. Lots of studies proved that there is a significant loss of revenue for App Publishers by letting people download illegal copies of paid apps for FREE. This came through apps like Install0us and other well known apps in black market.

Third iteration is to share apps like AirShare and Peer to Peer app sharing world. This even made worse things to App Publishers by letting any novice Cydia user to share legitimate paid apps to other people as illegal paid apps for FREE.

Out of these approaches, Apple’s stand was that you can protect your apps with In App Purchases. Is it true or true still ? There is a new iAP Cracker which lets you download limited populate apps by bypassing actual purchase and unlock features for FREE. This is the only thing left for App Publishers to feel safe not worrying about crack or losing revenue. Now that one is prone to cracking and the chunk will be a lot worse with these new additions.

Every app publisher should consider designing apps with security in mind for 2 reason. One is to protect their investment and not let it be loose for hacking community. And the last one is to give the consumers what they deserve to be the paid customers among these unpaid/crack user groups.