Items tagged with Jailbreak
Last week, a security researcher team claimed Apple’s T2 security chip onboard many Macs was vulnerable to an exploit that could not be patched. This exploit would give an attacker full root access and kernel execution privileges. Now, another group has showcased a real-world method of this attack over USB-C. Apple’s devices all have a debug tool that is created in-house for diagnosing issues with the OS. These can sometimes be leaked or reverse engineered so that users can jailbreak devices. With the exploit reported last week, attackers would use the checkm8/checkra1n exploit along with the blackbird vulnerability while in device firmware update (DFU) mode to get into a system....
Read more...
iPhone users who want to jailbreak their devices have a new option that reportedly works with all iPhones and iPads running iOS 13.5. The jailbreak is called Unc0ver 5.0.0, and its developers say that it works with iOS 11.0 through 13.5 with a couple of caveats. The jailbreak won't work on iOS 12.3-12.3.2 or 12.4.2-12.4.5. Unc0ver 5.0.0 promises to use "proper and deterministic techniques" for guaranteed stability. It's also secure with native system sandbox exceptions allowing security to remain intact while enabling access to jailbreak files. Security layers are preserved with developers promising that personal information is protected, allowing users to run jailbreak apps and tweaks while...
Read more...
Apple is notorious for not letting other kids get near their sandbox. Their restrictions have frustrated users who want to take greater control over their device, but there now appears a way for users to run the Android OS on their iPhones. Cybersecurity startup Corellium recently found a way to exploit the checkra1n jailbreak to install Android on older iOS devices. Corellium launched “Project Sandcastle” to “provide an opportunity to create something new from the limitless bounds of your imagination.” Users can download a beta that will allow them to install the Android OS on a iPhone 7, iPhone 7 Plus, or iPod Touch. Corellium promises to add more devices, but...
Read more...
Over the weekend, news spread of an unpatchable "checkm8" exploit that could allow millions of iPhone users to quickly and easily jailbreak their handsets. Lest there was any doubt it works, the hacker who developed the exploit posted a video on Twitter showing checkm8 in action on an iPhone X running iOS 13.1.1. The bad news for Apple is the nature of this exploit makes patching it away impossible. That's because checkm8 works its magic in the iOS bootrom, which itself resides in read-only memory inside a chip in affected iPhone models. Any jailbreaks that leverage the iOS bootrom can't be mitigated with a software patch. HACKED! Verbose booting iPhone X looks pretty cool. Starting in DFU Mode,...
Read more...
Back in the early days of the iPhone, jailbreaking was an incredibly common practice for enthusiasts. With an iOS jailbreak and third-party app stores like Cydia, iPhone users were able to add software features and apps to their devices that Apple had yet to provide (sometimes years prior). Two things happened to shrink the jailbreak community over the years: 1) Apple became more adept at patching up security holes in a timely fashion and even began employing hackers to improve its defenses and 2) Apple has added tons of functionality to iOS that made jailbreaking not worth the time or added security risk. For those that are still adamant about jailbreaking, there is some...
Read more...
Installing unauthorized software on your iPhone device that enables it to function in ways Apple does not allow, a process known as jailbreaking, can lead to a plethora of problems, Apple warns in a support document. According to Apple, jailbreaking an iPhone can cause security vulnerabilities and general instability. It can also leaded to lower battery life, disruption of services such as iCloud and iMessage, and have other adverse issues Flexibility is one of the key differences between Apple's proprietary iOS and Google's open source Android mobile operating systems. Apple prefers to have complete control over the user experience and ecosystem, while Google leaves it up to the community of...
Read more...
There is new jailbreaking software available for the iPhone, iPod touch, iPad, and iPad mini, so long as they have not been updated to the latest version of iOS. Using Electra, a free jailbreaking tool, iOS owners can wedge Cydia onto their mobile device and fetch apps that can only be installed on jailbroken phones and tablets, along with access settings that are normally untouchable. The jailbreak tool is for iOS 11 and works on versions up through iOS 11.1.2. So, it's compatible with iOS 11.0, 11.0.1, 11.0.2, 11.0.3, 11.1, 11.1.1, and 11.1.2. Apple recently pushed out an update to iOS that brings the version number for iPhone, iPad, and iPod devices to 11.2.6, and it appears that Electra does...
Read more...
PlayStation 4 fans looking to set their console free from the clutches of Sony will soon have a new jailbreak to try out. The PS4 4.05 Kernel Exploit from Developer Specter has been published on GitHub for download. The jailbreak devs are specific in noting that the exploit doesn't contain any code that will defeat anti-piracy measures or allow the users to run homebrew apps. The exploit summary reads in part, "In this project you will find a full implementation of the 'namedobj' kernel exploit for the PlayStation 4 on 4.05. It will allow you to run arbitrary code as kernel, to allow jailbreaking and kernel-level modifications to the system. This release however, does not contain any...
Read more...
Over the past few weeks, iOS enthusiasts that have clung to the practice of jailbreaking have anxiously awaited a public software release to "unleash the beast" so to speak. The first proof-of-concept untethered jailbreak was announced earlier this month by Alibaba’s Pandora Labs, which was based on the work of Google Project Zero researcher Ian Beer. Today, there's a fully-fledged jailbreak that has been released for Apple's current generation of smartphones, which include the iPhone 8, iPhone 8 Plus and iPhone X (and all other 64-bit iOS devices for that matter). The jailbreak, which is called LiberiOS, was developed by Jonathan Levin. There are some downsides to this jailbreak, however,...
Read more...
One week ago, we brought you news of an exploit discovered by a Google Project Zero researcher that had the potential to jailbreak iPhones. Jailbreaking allows users to install unsupported and unauthorized applications and services on an iPhone, but also leaves the devices more vulnerability to malware and other security risks. At the time, it was thought that the exploit would allow for a tethered jailbreak, meaning that the device would need to be hooked up to a computer with a USB cable each time that it was rebooted (to reinject the code). Earlier this week, the Project Zero researcher, Ian Beer, released his proof-of-concept code for the iOS 11 jailbreak. The jailbreak is made possible by...
Read more...
Way back in the day -- dating back to just after the release of the first iPhone -- hackers chipped away at the security defenses in iOS to give users functionality that was lacking in the default software. This practice is known as jailbreaking, and it is something that Apple unsurprisingly frowns upon since it breaks through its “walled garden”. Ian Beer, a researcher working for Google's Project Zero team, announced via a tweet that he has discovered an exploit that could jailbreak devices running iOS 11.1.2 or older. Project Zero is tasked with finding bugs in competing software, as we've seen over the years with the prickly relationship Google has with Microsoft on the matter....
Read more...
Well that did not take long. It has been less than two weeks since Nintendo released its hybrid Switch console and already someone has managed to hack the device. That bit is perhaps not too surprising—it was only a matter of time, after all—though the unexpected part is that the inventive hacker used an old WebKit exploit to thwart the Nintendo Switch's intentionally locked browser features. The hacker goes by "qwertyoruiop" on Twitter. If the name looks familiar, it's likely because he is the same one who contributed to the popular PlayStation 4 1.76 jailbreak. He has also post jailbreaks for several versions of iOS, Apple's tighly guarded mobile operating system used on iPhone, iPad, and iPod...
Read more...
Just a couple of weeks ago, we wrote about the Israeli security firm Cellebrite, and how it suffered a major data breach. After the information began to trickle out, it seemed like no real damage was done. Cellebrite itself said that what leaked was an old, irrelevant backup. A new discovery, however, questions that answer. If you're not familiar with Cellebrite, it was the firm that the U.S. government hired to break into an iPhone 5c to aide with investigation of the December 2015 San Bernardino terror attack. Apple at the time refused to help crack the phone, so Cellebrite was brought in, and succeeded. Not long after, the firm boasted about its ability to crack nearly any smartphone - be...
Read more...
It didn't take long for someone to figure out how to jailbreak Apple's newfangled iPhone 7 handset. A 19-year-old hacker known online as "qwertyoruiop" and offline as Luca Todesco needed just 24 hours to thwart the security measures in place of Apple's "best, most advanced iPhone ever" and iOS 10, the latest version of Apple's mobile operating system. By jailbreaking the iPhone 7, Todesco put himself in full control of the device. The biggest benefit to jailbreaking is being able to install apps outside of the App Store that haven't been approved by Apple. There's a world of functionality and features out there that Apple hasn't authorized, and if you want to install them, jailbreaking your handset...
Read more...
Apple's operating systems might be considered as some of the most secure on the planet, but as has been proven time and time again, nothing is bulletproof. Not even the company's latest iOS build, it seems. ZERODIUM, a firm that rewards those for finding unknown bugs, has just announced that a team has secured its rights to a bounty worth a staggering $1 million, or roughly the equivalent of 1,333x 16GB iPhone 6S Plus units. Speaking of which, if you are in the dark about what the 6S Plus brings to the table, check out our in-depth review. In order to succeed in ZERODIUM's challenge, the attackers had to remotely exploit an iOS 9.1/9.2b device to install an app with full permissions. The initiator...
Read more...
Zerodium, a new cybersecurity firm that pays independent researchers for their zero-day discoveries, is offering a big reward to anyone who creates an untethered, browser-based jailbreak for iOS 9. By "big" we're talking seven figures -- $1 million dollars, which it will pay out to the first three people or teams who can provide a remote jailbreak for the latest version of Apple's mobile software. "Apple iOS, like all operating system, is often affected by critical security vulnerabilities, however due to the increasing number of security improvements and the effectiveness of exploit mitigations in place, Apple's iOS is currently the most secure mobile OS. But don't be fooled, secure does not...
Read more...
To nobody's real surprise, the jailbreak community upon learning that the Apple Watch was freewheelin' it on wrists everywhere without a browser onboard set out to fill that gap. And in somewhat short order the celebrated Comex — the developer behind JailBreakMe, and a former Apple intern — has weighed in first, posting a video to Twitter over the weekend that features an Apple Watch running a Google web page via a web browser. Comex's video makes a good case for why Apple hasn't (yet) included a version of its Safari browser in Watch OS, illustrating the need to scroll over and across vast screen real estate — relatively speaking, of course...
Read more...
A new chapter in the Deus Ex universe dropped yesterday and all reviews indicate that it's actually a pretty good mobile game, relative to the limits of that platform. Unfortunately, there's a substantial hidden caveat. If you own a jailbroken device, Deus Ex: The Fall won't let you pull the trigger. You're allowed to buy the game no problem, but as soon as you try to shoot anything, the game helpfully informs you that only non-jailbroken devices are actually able to fire. While I suppose this technically aids an extra layer of difficulty to anyone wanting to try a hardcore sneak mode, it's not going to be much fun for people who prefer more traditional play -- or simply want a range of options....
Read more...
In the never-ending game of cat and mouse that is played between Apple and those that would attempt to jailbreak its devices using unauthorized software hacks, Apple just leaped ahead with its latest update. If you install iOS 6.1.3, you won't be able to jailbreak your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch using the uber popular "evasi0n" jailbreak, which works with iOS versions 6.0 through 6.1.2. The newest iOS update patches up several vulnerabilities, including a security bug that would allow someone to bypass the lock screen to view contacts, make phone calls, listen to voicemails, and invade your privacy in general. Ironically, many of the same vulnerabilities Apple patched were ones used by the evasi0n...
Read more...
While it's debatable as to whether or not Apple really feels strongly one way or the other to jailbreaking, at least in terms of public and official confirmation, it's starting to become clearer. If you aren't aware, the term "jailbreak" describes an installation of software that overwrites critical parts of iOS in order to let unapproved applications run on iOS devices (iPod touch, iPhone and iPad). Over the years, jailbreaking has grown from a risky move attempted only by daredevil owners, to something that's far more mainstream. According to recent reports, the long-awaited iOS 6 jailbreak, termed evasi0n, has been installed over seven million times in a week. If that rate continues, who knows...
Read more...
Apple hates it when users jailbreak their iOS devices (you know, the ones that people paid good money for and own), but that’s never stopped anyone from doing it. Whether it’s using Flash, enabling tethering, unlocking video chat over a 3G network, or downloading apps otherwise forbidden by Apple, lots of folks get in on the jailbreaking fun. AppleUnlocker now offers jailbreaking tools for the iPhone 4G, as well as Factory Unlock capabilities for the iPhone 4G and iPhone 5. The website states that its tools now support those features for up to iOS 6.0.1, as well. Apple has previously tried (unsuccessfully) to make jailbreaking an actual crime, and as we reported last week, the company...
Read more...
Well that was fast. For those of you who purchased (or are considering the purchase of) a Kindle Paperwhite ebook reader from Amazon, you can already jailbreak the device. The modded code is "heavily based" on a previously known hack for the Kindle 4/Touch, updated with a handful of tweaks and a new delivery method. It's a fairly simple process, as far as installing modified code goes. To perform the jailbreak, Kindle Paperwhite owners need only download a file and upload it to the root directory of their Paperwhite device via USB, and then restart. The code takes over and does the rest. With a jailbroken Kindle Paperwhite, owners can install third-party apps, use the device as a weather display...
Read more...
