Hackulous: New Tools for DRM-Free Apps on Apple Devices

Hackulous, the picaresque pirates best known for plundering Apple's DRM and capturing unprotected software for iPhone, iPod and iPad, yesterday unleashed an onslaught of updates, including cracking software for the much-anticipated Mac App Store and a "reverse BitTorrent" for jailbroken devices that aims to increase availability of cracked apps across the Web. According to TorrentFreak, a community of hackers striving to circumnavigate DRM on Apple mobile devices, Hackulous is most notorious for two products: "Apptrakr," a Web-based index of cracked apps that boasts some 10 million unique users monthly; and "Installous," software that enables installation of software found via Apptrakr, which runs on about 9 million jailbroken Apple devices.

Here's what's new on the high seas. Hackulous admin Dissident announced dueling upgrades to "Clutch," which allows cracking of iOS, and its GUI, "Crackulous." There's also a piece of code called "Overdrive" that grogs up apps to keep them from becoming self-aware. The biggest news, however, is the new "Installous 4" package bundled in flagship Apptrakr.

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