iPhone bootrom exploit

[Sagath]

https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1177542201670168576

This is literally the biggest hardware news of any sort in a long LONG time. It makes spectre/meltdown look like a joke.

And it's really bad for Apple security. Buckle up buttercup. We're in for a wild ride over the next weeks and months.

 

[KaptCrunch]

Nothing new with any OS, for just a tool to monitor your thoughts to market it on sales

 

[lowfat]

Not really. A bootrom exploit requires the physical device. Not really any different than a Nintendo Switch RCM boot exploit. Just an easy permanent way to jailbreak the device.

 

[FreeKnight]

Not really. A bootrom exploit requires the physical device. Not really any different than a Nintendo Switch RCM boot exploit. Just an easy permanent way to jailbreak the device.

I think the security concern is that if someone steals your phone (and iphones are a theft goldmine), they can get into it without a password, access your info, steal your naughty pics, etc.

I don't for sure know if that's possible (I'm not an iphone guy), but saw a few comments implying it was.

 

[Sagath]

I think the security concern is that if someone steals your phone (and iphones are a theft goldmine), they can get into it without a password, access your info, steal your naughty pics, etc.

I don't for sure know if that's possible (I'm not an iphone guy), but saw a few comments implying it was.

This is not the case. All that data is protected by a specific chip, so any personal data on the phone is safe...assuming no exploit is ever found for that chip. But of course that is always the case.

It essentially does allow any phone to be compromised at the firmware level for iOS versions, as well as providing root read/write regardless of software iOS version, and can circumvent iCloud locking phones.

The entire process is tethered though, so that limits its effectiveness as Lowfat mentions.

 

[FreeKnight]

Ahhh so largely this is bad news for apple who always want their system locked down, but good news for the public that wants to jailbreak?

 

[Sagath]

Ahhh so largely this is bad news for apple who always want their system locked down, but good news for the public that wants to jailbreak?

Bingo.

It also means EVERY single future iOS version for any phone from the 5s to the X is jailbreakable for tweaks/mods moving forward...in addition to being dual bootable, and theoretically you could put Android on it

I think you android people would call this 'rooting' the device?

 

[Izerous]

Rooting yes as you have root level access instead of a limited level access (ie Linux root)

But compromises like this could cause Apple to take some interesting future measures that none of us will like.