Security research firm Paradigm Shift has published details of a new BootROM vulnerability affecting Apple’s A12 and A13 chips, reports MacRumors.
The exploit leverages both a hardware bug in the USB controller and a specific configuration flaw present in the device firmware. Affect chips include the A12, S4/S5, and A13. The exploit can boot modified iPhone software that wouldn’t normally be allowed to run
The A11 chip, used in the iPhone X, isn’t affected because its USB driver manually resets the pointer after each packet. A14 and later chips are also safe, as they configure a memory protection feature correctly at the BootROM level. The A12 and A13 sit in a vulnerable middle ground between the two.
“While newer generations have addressed the underlying issue, affected A12 and A13 devices will carry it for the remainder of their lifetime,” says Paradigm Shift. “For those who have followed the history of iPhone exploitation and jailbreaking, this research is a reminder that the BootROM still occasionally has a surprise left to give.”
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