A fix was released earlier this month by Apple with the iOS 12.4.1 update for fixing a bug that could help intruders in jailbreaking an iPhone. However, a new iOS exploit has been discovered that is categorized as bootrom vulnerability. It supposedly makes permanent jailbreaking an iPhone possible. The exploit impacts all models of iPhone, from iPhone 4s to X. Nevertheless, the frightening part is that the vulnerability cannot be fixed through a software update, thus making millions of iPhones worldwide defenseless to jailbreaking.
Dubbed “checkm8,” the vulnerability was spotted by a security researcher identified by the moniker @axi0mX on the micro-blogging site Twitter. Also, an “open-source jailbreaking tool for several iOS gadgets” on GitHub intended for researchers—not a full-blown jailbreak tool attuned with Cydia—was shared by the researcher. The tool can be utilized to demote to a previous iOS version, but definitive evidence of it being executed is yet to surface, and there are still lots of unanswered questions.
At present, the tool is in beta and also appears with the threat of iPhone bricking on which it is executed. The security expert responsible for the finding mentions that the iPhone and iPad models, from the iPhone 4S to X, dispatch with the vulnerability, implying anybody with the correct tools and phone access can jailbreak it. The main concern is that the new exploit is a bootrom exploit, meaning it cannot be patched by Apple through a software update. Thus, the above-mentioned devices will carry on to stay vulnerable.
Likewise, earlier this month, iOS 13 was released by Apple as its key new OS. Though the iOS upgrade arrived with numerous new features, comprising the much-awaited Dark Mode, it was mentioned to have a maddening Touch ID bug that defies third-party applications to log in. The bug might be fixed by Apple via a new iOS 13 point release.