Firmware

Apple stops signing iOS 12.1.1 beta 3, halting downgrades to a jailbreakable firmware

Anthony Bouchard ∙ March 6, 2019

In an unfortunate turn of events this week, Apple appears to have stopped signing iOS 12.1.1 beta 3 for most or all iOS devices. Before last night, this was the last jailbreakable firmware that could still be downgraded to via iTunes since Apple closed the signing window for the official iOS 12.1.1-12.1.2 releases exactly one month ago.

Hacker an unc0ver lead developer Pwn20wnd confirmed the unsigning status via Twitter in the wee hours of the night, shortly following up with reports saying that it was still being signed by Apple for certain devices. As expected, a couple of high-profile individuals such as rootlessJB 3.0 developer Jake James and OsirisJailbreak12 creator GeoSn0w confirmed that the firmware wasn’t being signed for their devices:

Apple officially stops signing iOS 12.1.1 and 12.1.2, thwarting firmware downgrades via iTunes

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 5, 2019

Following an exceptionally-long and unheard-of grace period, Apple has officially stopped signing both iOS 12.1.1 and 12.1.2 Tuesday evening, a move that packs some serious implications for the jailbreak community.

Update: iOS 12.1.1 beta 3 is apparently still being signed at the time of this writing. Downgrade immediately while you have the chance!

Apple first launched these firmware versions on December 5th and December 17th respectively, each to address small bug fixes and performance improvements in the operating system. But as we know, no software is entirely bug-proof.

Pwn20wnd revises the unc0ver v3.0.0 pre-release with bug fixes and code improvements

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 5, 2019

Hacker and unc0ver lead developer Pwn20wnd issued two more revisions to the unc0ver v3.0.0 pre-release early Tuesday morning with some important bug fixes and code improvements. At the time of this writing, the unc0ver v3.0.0 pre-release is now on beta 15.

Citing the changelog published on Pwn20wnd’s official GitHub repository, beta 14 and beta 15 of the unc0ver v3.0.0 pre-release encompass the following changes:

Pwn20wnd drops unc0ver v3.0.0 pre-release with support for iOS 11.4.x, releases unc0ver v2.2.0 to the masses

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Not long after the Electra Team released Electra version 1.2.0 with official support for iOS 11.4-11.4.1, hacker and uncover lead developer Pwn20wnd officially released unc0ver v2.2.0 to the masses and dropped the first unc0ver v3.0.0 pre-release in its wake.

Pwn20wnd made the announcements via Twitter Wednesday afternoon, noting that the unc0ver v3.0.0 pre-release is based off unc0ver v2.2.0 but with support for Brandon Azad’s voucher_swap exploit for A9/A9X/A10/A10X/A11 devices running iOS 11.4-11.4.1 in addition to the preexisting support for iOS 11.0-11.4 beta 3:

Electra Team releases Electra version 1.2.0 with support for iOS 11.4-11.4.1

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated March 17, 2019

On Wednesday, the Electra Team released an updated version of the iOS 11-centric Electra jailbreak tool. Version 1.2.0 adds official support for iOS 11.4 and 11.4.1, making it the first public jailbreak tool to officially support these firmware versions.

The Electra Team made the announcement via Twitter, noting that Electra 1.2.0 uses a newer exploit dubbed voucher_swap. This exploit is allegedly more reliable than the traditional multi_path or VFS exploits that users have been relying on for months:

Security researcher Brandon Azad publishes voucher_swap exploit for pre-iOS 12.1.2 devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Not long after tihmstar published his iOS 11.4-11.4.1-centric tfp0 exploit for headphone jack-enabled handsets, security researcher Brandon Azad followed up by releasing an exploit of his own intended for devices running iOS 12.1.2 and earlier.

Azad shared the news via Twitter Tuesday afternoon, including a link to documentation encompassing the exploit:

In change of heart, tihmstar releases tfp0 exploit for certain iOS 11.4-11.4.1 devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated March 19, 2019

Just over two weeks ago, it became known that hacking guru tihmstar was tinkering with a tfp0 exploit for iOS 11.4-11.4.1 devices of the A10 and earlier variety. But not long after finishing it, he opted not to release it, citing that ‘something cool’ would be coming instead.

Curiously, tihmstar appears to have undergone a change of heart on Tuesday after releasing his exploit to the public, a move that could reinforce existing iOS 11-centric jailbreak tools such as Electra and unc0ver:

Pwn20wnd revises the unc0ver v2.2.0 pre-release with rewritten Cydia installation & other changes

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 29, 2019

Not long after advising the jailbreak community about what to do regarding the FaceTime-centric bug and the impending software update from Apple to fix it, hacker and unc0ver lead developer Pwn20wnd revised the unc0ver v2.2.0 pre-release this afternoon with some notable changes.

Citing the hacker’s official GitHub page, Tuesday’s update marks the fourteenth revision to the unc0ver v2.2.0 pre-release since its initial conception just over a week ago. The new revision appears to incorporate the following changes:

Pwn20wnd advises jailbreakers to avoid impending software update despite FaceTime bug

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 29, 2019

Just yesterday, Apple was compelled to temporarily disable its FaceTime service after a critical bug was discovered that enabled a malicious individual to ‘spy’ on someone else via the recipient’s microphone and camera. Apple later mentioned that they would implement a fix via a software update later this week.

The circumstances present obvious implications for the jailbreak community, as installing a software update would reduce your jailbreakability to practically zilch. That said, if you’re waiting for an iOS 12 jailbreak to drop and don’t have the means to install Apple’s upcoming firmware update, then you’re undoubtedly questioning what the best course of action is.

Unc0ver v2.2.0 pre-release receives additional revisions with more improvements

Anthony Bouchard ∙ Updated February 1, 2019

Hacker and unc0ver lead developer Pwn20wnd issued at least three more revisions to the unc0ver v2.2.0 pre-release since our last coverage, with each revision bringing fresh bug fixes and performance improvements to make the jailbreak experience as smooth as possible for users.

Citing the changelog published on Pwn20wnd’s official GitHub page, those three revisions encompass the following changes:

Last chance to downgrade to iOS 12.1.1 as S0rryMyBad publishes details about iOS 12-centric kernel exploit

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 23, 2019

Apple officially dropped iOS 12.1.3 on Tuesday, and it wasn’t long after that security researcher @S0rryMyBad Tweeted a proof of concept (PoC) of the bug used to achieve an iOS 12 jailbreak at the TianfuCup PWN Contest last November.

On Wednesday, @S0rryMyBad followed up with the PoC he Tweeted by publishing a detailed blog post elaborating the ins and outs of his bug, including how it works and how to use it on iOS 12.1.2 and below:

S0rryMyBad shares PoC of the bug he used to jailbreak iOS 12 on pre-A12 devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ January 22, 2019

Just over two weeks ago, security researcher @S0rryMyBad announced the discovery of an exploit for iOS 12.1.2 and below for pre-A12 devices, adding that he would release information about it after Apple patched it in a software update. Fortunately, that time has finally come.

Several hours after Apple released iOS 12.1.3 to the public on Tuesday, @S0rryMyBad made good on his promise by Tweeting a proof of concept screenshot of the bug that he had teased earlier in the month: