Security research firm Paradigm Shift today published details of a new BootROM vulnerability affecting Apple’s A12 and A13 chips, along with a working proof-of-concept exploit named “usbliter8.”
The BootROM, or SecureROM, is the first code an iPhone runs when it powers on. Because it is baked directly into the chip at manufacture, any vulnerability found there cannot be fixed with a software update, meaning affected devices will remain vulnerable for the rest of their lives.
The last publicly known BootROM exploit of this kind was “checkm8,” released in 2019 which affected devices from the iPhone 4S through to the iPhone X.
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