Older iPhones Have an Unfixable Security Flaw - Why It Can't Be Patched and the Models Affected
The exploit targets A12 and A13 devices and requires physical access, while Apple cannot fix the Boot ROM flaw with a software update.
- On Friday, Barcelona-based offensive cybersecurity company Paradigm Shift published details of 'usbliter8,' a new exploit targeting the BootROM of older Apple iPhones.
- The flaw affects devices with A12 or A13 Bionic chips released in 2018 and 2019, including iPhone XS, XR, and iPhone 11; because the vulnerability exists in immutable code, Apple cannot patch it via software updates.
- Although attackers require physical access to the device, Shane Barney, chief information security officer of Keeper Security, warned that "the organizations most exposed to this class of vulnerability are often the ones least likely to see it coming."
- Researchers could not bypass Apple's Data Protection, meaning user files and messages remain secure; however, the exploit allows attackers to potentially defeat further security checks.
- Paradigm Shift advised that "migrating to newer hardware remains the most effective mitigation" for users with affected devices seeking to avoid security risks from this unpatchable vulnerability.
10 Articles
10 Articles
This vulnerability allows hackers and intelligence agencies to bypass the basic security of older models. A Spanish cybersecurity company has published technical details and a working proof of concept for an exploit that allows hackers to compromise millions of older Apple smartphones, RBC-Ukraine reported, citing TechCrunch. Paradigm Shift, a Barcelona-based organization that specializes in creating hacking tools for government agencies, publis…
TechCrunch
BizTocA new unpatchable flaw in Apple chips opens the door to an iPhone jailbreak
European offensive cybersecurity company Paradigm Shift released details of a flaw and a technique to exploit it that opens the door for hackers to unlock and break into older iPhones.
A group of security researchers from Paradigm Shift has discovered a vulnerability in older models of iPhone, iPad and Apple Watch that can be used to ‘jailbreak’ the device. The bug, called ‘usbiter8’, is not a software error that Apple can fix with an update, but a physical design failure on certain chips. According to the study, devices using A12 and A13 chips, as well as other devices using S4 and S5 chips, are affected. The first group incl…
It also affects other Apple devices and cannot be fixed.
Cybersecurity service provider Paradigm Shift has shared the details of a new vulnerability identified on iPhone A12 and A13 chips that, while requiring physical access, can completely compromise the brand's old devices.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 40% of the sources are Center, 40% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
