| Cult of Mac

How top secret iPhone code ended up on the web

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iPhone boot up
"The biggest leak in history."
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

A low-level Apple employee leaked the secret iPhone code that ended up on GitHub.

iBoot, a part of iOS that ensures the device is booting a trusted operating system, surfaced online last week in what was described by one security expert as “the biggest leak in history.”

Here’s how and why the code got out.

Massive online leak reveals iPhone’s deepest secrets

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iPhone boot up
"The biggest leak in history."
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

Source code for a core component of the iPhone’s software has appeared online in what is described as “the biggest leak in history.”

iBoot, a part of iOS that ensures the device is booting a trusted operating system, was posted to GitHub anonymously. The code could be used by hackers to find vulnerabilities in Apple’s software. The company has already filed a copyright take-down request to have it removed.

Big Cydia sources shut down as jailbreaking dies out

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Cydia jailbreak
Cydia is now compatible with iOS 11. Here’s which tweaks you can use.
Photo: Cydia

Two of Cydia’s largest repositories have been shutdown as jailbreaking dies out. ModMy and ZodTTD are no longer available, leaving BigBoss as the only major source still available to those who want apps and tweaks you can’t find in the App Store.

Hacker shows off world’s first successful iPhone X jailbreak

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iPhone X
Well, that didn't take too long!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iPhone X is still brand new, but already a jailbreaker in South Korea has managed to figure out how to jailbreak the device.

The functional jailbreak for Apple’s brand new iOS 11.1.1 firmware on the iPhone X was shown off at the POC2017 event in Seoul, South Korea. In an video of the demonstration, hacker Liang Chen of KeenLab was shown executing a jailbreak on the iOS version which Apple made publicly available just yesterday.

iOS 11 beta has already been jailbroken

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iOS 11 Control Center
But don't expect to get your hands on it just yet!
Photo: Ste Smith/Cult of Mac

The iOS 11 beta has only been available for a few weeks, but already it’s been cracked by some enterprising jailbreakers — although don’t expect to be able to get your hands on it just yet.

The iOS 11 beta 2 jailbreak was shown off by security researchers at the recent Mobile Security Conference (MOSEC) 2017 in Shanghai, China. Photos of the demo were posted online by Min Zheng, Senior Security Engineer at Alibaba.

Hackers can make $1.5 million jailbreaking iOS 10

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iPhone 7
You can make big bucks hacking the iPhone.
Photo: Ste Smith

Looking for a quick way to become a millionaire? Just try hacking the iPhone.

Software security firm Zerodium revealed today that it has raised the price of its permanent bounty on iOS zero-day exploits, giving hackers a chance to earn up to $1.5 million if their exploit meets all the requirements.

Soap star’s secret revealed! She jailbreaks.

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When she's not on set, actress Melissa Archer dabbles in jailbreaking.
When she's not on set, actress Melissa Archer dabbles in jailbreaking.
Photo courtesy of Melissa Archer

Cult of Mac 2.0 bugThis is the third story in a three-part series on jailbreaking iOS.

When Melissa Archer learned she would die at the hands of a serial killer, she made one last request: “I asked if I could have a death scene because I am a nerd.”

Her death had significance. It meant a long run as a mainstay and fan favorite of daytime soap operas was about to go on hiatus. It also meant she would have more time to devote to another passion — jailbreaking iPhones and inventing new features.