Catalin Cimpanu shares more details of the T2 chip jailbreak I wrote about last week.
The attack requires combining two other exploits that were initially designed for jailbreaking iOS devices — namely Checkm8 and Blackbird. This works because of some shared hardware and software features between T2 chips and iPhones and their underlying hardware.
Unfortunately, since this is a hardware-related issue, all T2 chips are to be considered unpatchable. The only way users can deal with the aftermath of an attack is to reinstall BridgeOS, the operating system that runs on T2 chips.
Check It Out: More Details on the Mac T2 Security Chip Jailbreak
How many times have things like this been heralded as the death knell of security. As if you lose your iPhone and some street person, with the knowledge and technical skills and equipment, picks it up and you’re hosed. Really? Like all of the rest of them this will fade into obscurity, The next T2 chip will be fixed (probably already is) and that will be that. This will be just another tool for state actors to use in the espionage business.
I’d like to know if this “security researcher” advised Apple of his research before making it public. Or is this his cry for attention and a “look at me” stunt? Has his claim been confirmed by his peers? Is this a YouTube video that tells you how to unlock an iPhone in 3 seconds with a few keystrokes?