Firmware

Apple stops signing iOS 13.3 as updated unc0ver jailbreak nears public release

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 12, 2020

Apple must’ve caught wind about Pwn20wnd’s fast-paced progress on updated the unc0ver jailbreak for iOS 13.0-13.3. Not even a few hours after internal beta testers hyped the project on Twitter with the #unc0ver hashtag, Apple officially closed the signing window for iOS 13.3 to prevent downgrades from iOS 13.3.1.

Apple’s swift blow to iOS downgrading on Wednesday was somewhat out of character for the company because it transpired much earlier in the day than usual. While Apple regularly unsigns older firmware, the abruptness of iOS 13.3’s unsigning after Pwn20wnd’s slurry of announcements regarding unc0ver suggests that Apple intended to contain the jailbreak situation before it could reach the masses.

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Pwn20wnd says unc0ver could support iOS 13.0-13.3 on A12(X)-A13 devices

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 9, 2020

There's been no shortage of news updates and teasers from team unc0ver as Pwn20wnd works ever-so-carefully to integrate Brandon Azad’s oob_timestamp tfp0 exploit into the jailbreak tool. But while some of his Tweets have been more optimistic than others, one of those shared this Sunday afternoon is particularly exciting for those waiting for support on A12(X)-A13 devices.

Initially, Pwn20wnd had planned to support all versions of iOS 13.0-13.3 for all affected devices, but that tone changed on Saturday when the unc0ver lead developer noted that this wouldn’t be practical given all the work that it would necessitate and the fact that checkra1n already supports the bulk of those devices. Fortunately, those sporting A12(X)-A13 devices may still be able to look forward to such support:

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Complications and progress as Pwn20wnd tests the new oob_timestamp exploit

Anthony Bouchard ∙ February 8, 2020

The release of Brandon Azad’s oob_timestamp exploit yesterday afternoon meant that Pwn20wnd could finally get to work on adopting support for the unc0ver jailbreak. On the other hand, a plethora of Tweets shared early Saturday morning suggest that doing so could be a lot more work than initially thought.

While Pwn20wnd has every intention of updating the unc0ver jailbreak to support iOS 13.3 on A12(X)-A13 as planned, it seems that the biggest complication would be the impractical amount of work needed to support each and every individual firmware version between iOS 13.0 and 13.3 on each and every device type:

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Downgrades from iOS 13.3 no longer possible as Apple unsigns iOS 13.2.3

Anthony Bouchard ∙ December 19, 2019

Apple stopped signing iOS 13.2.3 Thursday evening, barely over a week after releasing iOS 13.3 to the general public. It’s an expectable move on the company’s behalf that prevents iPhone and iPad users from restoring to that particular firmware version, or from downgrading from the newer iOS 13.3 release.

Apple’s official reasoning for doing this is to facilitate software upgrades to ensure that users take advantage of the latest features, bug fixes, and security patches. Behind that marketing façade, it’s also evident that Apple prevents software downgrades in an effort to keep the jailbreak community at bay, as most jailbreak tools only operate on older versions of iOS, and Apple quickly patches these jailbreaks in its software updates.

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Apple halts downgrades from iOS 13.2.3 by unsigning iOS 13.2.2

Anthony Bouchard ∙ December 2, 2019

Apple systematically stops signing older mobile software releases as newer ones become available. Given the company’s track record in this regard, it should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with the matter that Apple has stopped signing iOS 13.2.2 Monday evening, a move that effectively averts firmware downgrades from the newer iOS 13.2.3 that Apple released approximately two weeks ago with miscellaneous bug fixes.

There are two primary reasons why someone would want to downgrade their firmware in the first place, with the first being to revert back to an older version of iOS after a new release breaks functionality or introduces unwanted bugs, and the second being to restore the device to a jailbreakable firmware after a software update patches the necessary exploits used by a tool.

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New tfp0 POC encompasses iOS 12.4.1 & 12.4.2 on ‘all iOS devices since A12’

Anthony Bouchard ∙ November 28, 2019
Matrix code hacked iPhone.

Good news for jailbreak hopefuls who aren’t presently able to take advantage of the brand-new checkra1n tool due to having too new of a device: there’s a new tfp0 proof-of-concept in town.

Citing a blog post first shared by Twitter user @ZecOps this Thanksgiving, the new tfp0 POC affects iOS 12.4.1 and 12.4.2, and this potentially opens the door for existing semi-untethered jailbreaks like Chimera and unc0ver to implement support for two new versions of iOS on all iOS devices since the A12(X) variety:

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Apple unsigns iOS 13.2, hindering downgrades from iOS 13.2.2

Anthony Bouchard ∙ November 14, 2019

Apple stopped signing iOS 13.2 Thursday evening, a move that inhibits iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch owners from downgrading their handset’s software from the latest iOS 13.2.2 release.

It’s common practice for the Cupertino-based tech company to unsign older software sometime after a newer gets released. Doing so facilitates (sometimes involuntary) software upgrades, which ensures that the majority of iOS device users take advantage of the latest new features, bug fixes, and security improvements.

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Apple unsigns iOS 13.1.2 and 13.1.3, thwarting downgrades from 13.2

Anthony Bouchard ∙ November 6, 2019

Apple closed the signing window for two different iOS versions for various handsets Wednesday evening, including 13.1.2 and 13.1.3.

It’s regular practice for Apple to stop signing older versions of iOS after a newer release has been available for some time. Doing so both prevents software downgrades by the jailbreak-savvy and encourages software updates for everyone else to ensure users take advantage of the latest features and security patches.

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Apple stops signing iOS 13.1, hindering firmware downgrades

Anthony Bouchard ∙ October 7, 2019

Apple on Monday stopped signing iOS 13.1, a move on the Cupertino-based company’s part that prevents most iPhone and iPad users from downgrading from any newer version of the mobile operating system.

It’s worth noting that Apple stopped signing iOS 13.0 just last week along with iOS 13.1.1. For whatever reason, Apple continued to sign iOS 13.1 alongside iOS 13.1.2, with the latter being the latest release at the time of this writing.

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Apple stops signing iOS 12.4, preventing downgrades to a jailbreakable firmware

Anthony Bouchard ∙ September 11, 2019

We all knew it was coming, and now it’s official – iOS 12.4 is no longer being signed by Apple.

The Cupertino-based big tech company closed the signing window for iOS 12.4 late Wednesday evening, effectively preventing downgrades from the newer iOS 12.4.1 release, which was released more than two weeks ago to re-patch the Sock Puppet exploit that Apple inadvertently un-patched in iOS 12.4.

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Last chance to downgrade to iOS 12.4 for jailbreak eligibility

Anthony Bouchard ∙ August 26, 2019

It was only within the past couple of weeks that Pwn20wnd and the Electra Team updated the unc0ver and Chimera jailbreak tools with support for iOS 12.4 by way of an updated Sock Puppet exploit, and while it was the first time in a long while that the latest version of iOS could be jailbroken, all fun things must, unfortunately, come to an end…

Apple released iOS 12.4.1 to the general public on Monday with bug fixes and security enhancements, one of which tended to the updated Sock Puppet exploit that Apple initially patched in iOS 12.3 and then inadvertently un-patched again in iOS 12.4.

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