Security experts noticed that Apple had not encrypted the kernel of its iOS as it had done before. The move opened the workings of iPhones and iPads for all to see. That would aid anyone looking for security weaknesses in Apple’s flagship software.

Apple released a statement today saying it did it deliberately. There was nothing to see here, move on please.

“The kernel cache doesn’t contain any user info, and by unencrypting it we’re able to optimise the operating system’s performance without compromising security.”

The Tame Apple Press has welcomed the news without really thinking about what the words mean. Basically Apple is saying it was a move to speed the phone up and no "user data" would be leaked.

However it was not "user data" we were interested in when we wrote our story.

Encrypting the kernel, while not needed on open saucy software like Android, is vital if you are going to keep yourself proprietary and drag your feet on virus upgrades, like Apple does.

An open kernel allows you to see the workings of iOS and craft malware that will work on it. In Open Source that is fine because you will have lots of people around to help you modify the code to break the malware. But with Apple, which does not even have a bug bounty, and is slow to repair malware, it has opened itself up for a new range of attacks. Still at least the iPhone will be a little faster.