The ‘biggest leak in history’: Secret Apple source code is posted online prompting fears it could lead to major breach in iPhone security
Source code for Apple’s iBoot software was leaked on GitHub on Thursday
iBoot is a key component of iOS that ensures each device turns on securely
Security experts say the leaked source code might be used to jailbreak iPhones
Apple now says that the iBoot code poses fewer security risks because it’s tied to outdated iOS 9 software that wouldn’t affect users running newer iOS versions
Code was taken down after Apple demanded GitHub remove it from the site
By ANNIE PALMER
DAILYMAIL.COM
8 February 2018
A skilled anonymous hacker leaked the source code for Apple’s ultra-secret iBoot software on Wednesday, raising fears that almost any iPhone might be vulnerable to hackers.
The Source code for iBoot, which is the first app that runs when you turn on an iOS device, was posted by an anonymous user ‘Zioshiba’ on GitHub.
For example, iBoot runs when the iPhone transitions from a black screen to a white screen and then the iOS home screen.
The event captured the attention of several security experts, including one who told Motherboard that it was the ‘biggest leak in [Apple’s] history.’
‘It’s a huge deal,’ Jonathan Levin, who writes books about iOS system programming, said in an interview with Motherboard.
Levin was also able to confirm that the source code is authentic.
With iBoot out in the open, it could make it easier for hackers to spot vulnerabilities in the software.
It could also open up opportunities for savvy consumers to ‘jailbreak’ their iPhones, or free their device from constraints imposed by Apple.
When an iPhone has been jailbroken, users can run software that’s not typically allowed or delete applications that come pre-loaded on the device, also known as ‘bloatware.’
Apple recently began using Secure Enclave processors that ensure greater security and made jailbreaking almost obsolete.
Fortunately, many of the risks associated with the leak have been mitigated.
Apple has since responded and said that the leak concerns source code from iOS 9, which was released in 2015.
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