The iPad has been hacked

An existing loophole used to crack the security features of the iPhone has allowed hackers to jailbreak the iPad just hours after Apple’s new tablet device hit the US.

Known American iPhone hacker MuscleNerd has, as spotted by TechRadar, already posted videos online that appear to show him running unsigned code on the machine, meaning that all manner of software – including pirated games and emulators – can now be booted.

Though the hack is only possible for those with a high level of technical knowledge for the time being, it is expected that a user-friendly jailbreak solution could hit the internet in a matter of days.

A jailbreak was expected following the iPad’s launch, but the rapid discovery has shown that the iPhone 3.2 firmware used on the device hasn’t patched all of the security holes that were present in the 3.1.3 code,” the site claims.

Famed iPhone hacker George Hotz claimed recently that he expected to produce an iPad hack shortly after the device’s release but has thus far been quiet ion the subject.