Danny Weber
Paradigm Shift has shown usbliter8, a low-level exploit for older Apple chips. It needs physical access, but ordinary updates cannot fully fix it.
Security researchers at Paradigm Shift have reported a hardware vulnerability affecting several Apple devices built on the A12 and A13 chips, as well as the S4 and S5 processors used in wearable hardware. The team published a description of the issue and a working proof-of-concept exploit called usbliter8, which targets SecureROM — the built-in boot code written directly into the processor.
The affected list includes iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max, iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max and the second-generation iPhone SE. The vulnerability also reaches the third-generation iPad Air, fifth-generation iPad mini, and the eighth- and ninth-generation iPad. Among wearables, Apple Watch Series 4, Apple Watch Series 5 and the first Apple Watch SE are exposed. The issue also applies to S5-based devices, including HomePod mini, as well as the second-generation Apple TV 4K with A12 Bionic.
The researchers stress that the vulnerability does not affect Secure Enclave, so passwords, biometric data and encryption keys remain protected. Exploitation requires physical access to the device, extra hardware and solid technical skills, which keeps the risk relatively low for most users.
Paradigm Shift notified Apple about the problem in advance, but it cannot be closed with a normal software update. The flaw sits in hardware-level code burned into the chip during manufacturing. Users who treat device security as especially critical are advised to consider moving to newer models.
Experts believe the discovery will almost certainly draw attention from the jailbreak developer community. For Apple, the episode is likely to become another reason to harden future processor generations and pay even closer attention to low-level boot components.
© T. Feodor