A team of mobile operating specialists over the weekend published a tool that’s reportedly capable of jailbreaking all versions of iOS from 11 through the just-released 13.5 update.
Per Wired, the new jailbreak is available to download and install from established platforms like AltStore and Cydia. According to its creators, the jailbreaking team Unc0ver, the jailbreak is stable, doesn’t hamper battery life and doesn’t prevent the use of official Apple services like Apple Pay, iCloud or iMessage. The group further claims that the use of its tool doesn’t undermine iOS sandbox security.
According to Wired, this is the first jailbreak built on a zero-day vulnerability in years. Unc0ver’s lead developer, who goes by the handle Pwn20wnd, as well as independent iOS security researchers believe it will take Apple two to three weeks to patch the flaw in the iOS kernel that enables this jailbreak assuming of course that they hadn’t previously found the bug and were already preparing a fix.
However safe the jailbreak may be, it underscores a resurgence of iOS security issues in recent months. A Mail app vulnerability raised concerns in April, although Apple said the practical risk was lower than some claimed. The iOS 14 leak has also left some worried that attackers might have months to prepare exploits before Apple even ships the new software, although there’s a lot that could change between now and the official debut. Add to that claims of a surfeit of iOS flaw reports and security appears to be more of an issue for Apple that it has in the past, even if the practical threat isn’t necessarily high.
