iPhones, like most other phones, are known to be carrier-locked when first bought. This usually means that it comes along for free or for a small fee with a phone plan. Since it comes out to be cheaper than buying just the phone itself, a lot of people go for this deal. But the thing is it means that you can only use the carrier’s services. You can’t swap it with another sim card because it won’t work. But there is now a tool that allows you to easily jailbreak older iPhones.
Updated on 20 December 2024
Last Friday, a security researcher by the name of axi0mX claims to have discovered a hardware flaw in iPhone vulnerability. Apparently, this affects models from the 4s to the iPhone X. Because of this it can make way for a new wave of iOS “jailbreaking” and hacks to get through the lock screen without a password.
The researcher took to Twitter and posted a free tool that exploits the “bootrom”. The bootrom is an important part of the iPhone’s memory chip. According to PC Mag, is what “functions as the first computer code that loads on an iOS device when it initially starts up”.
According to axi0mX, there is an unchangeable flaw in the older iPhone models that allows you to exploit the bootrom to load whatever software process you want.
The tool, named “checkm8” is said to be work on iPhones running the A5 through A11 chips. This basically means all iPhones from the 4s to the iPhone X.
But take note, it can’t give you a full jailbreak, or let you modify iOS and install unsanctioned third-party apps. Rather, it makes it oh so easy for you to get a full jailbreak compared to doing it without any help.
But axi0mX didn’t do this for malicious purposes. He created the tool in with the thought of security researchers. Now, they will be able to gain full system-level access to iOS. This makes it faster and easier to spot bugs in Apple’s software.
Of course, the jailbreaking community will also benefit. For those who are stuck with older versions, they can now upgrade and tweak their iPhones regardless of the iOS version.