A new unpatchable flaw in Apple chips opens the door to an iPhone jailbreak

2026-06-22 · Source: TechCrunch · Field: Technology & Digital — Cybersecurity & Data Privacy · Depth: Intermediate, quick

Summary

An unpatchable vulnerability, dubbed "usbliter8," has been detailed by Paradigm Shift, an offensive cybersecurity company. This flaw affects Apple A12 and A13 chips, released in 2018 and 2019, present in older iPhones like the XS, XR, and up to the iPhone 11. The bug resides in the iPhone's Boot ROM, the initial code executed upon startup, making it immutable and impossible to patch via software updates. Exploiting usbliter8 requires physical access to the device and allows hackers to bypass initial security checks. While not an immediate universal hacking tool, its public release provides a critical component for security researchers, including government contractors, to potentially develop full iPhone jailbreaks by chaining it with other vulnerabilities. This highlights the ongoing challenge of securing devices against sophisticated threats, even as Apple enhances iPhone security.

Key takeaway

Security engineers managing device fleets should note that iPhones with A12 and A13 chips (XS, XR, up to iPhone 11) have an unpatchable Boot ROM flaw. This "usbliter8" vulnerability, requiring physical access, makes these older devices inherently more susceptible to sophisticated, targeted attacks. You should prioritize migrating critical users to newer hardware to mitigate this persistent, unfixable risk.

Key insights

An unpatchable Boot ROM vulnerability in older Apple chips enables initial access for chaining further iPhone exploits.

Principles

• Boot ROM vulnerabilities are immutable and unpatchable.
• Physical device access is often required for low-level exploits.
• Chaining multiple flaws is necessary for comprehensive device compromise.

In practice

• Migrating to newer hardware mitigates unpatchable Boot ROM flaws.
• Usbliter8 provides a critical component for developing iPhone jailbreaks.
• Researchers often withhold valuable iPhone flaw details from public release.

Topics

• Apple A12 Chip
• Apple A13 Chip
• iPhone Security
• Boot ROM Vulnerability
• iOS Jailbreaking
• Offensive Cybersecurity

Best for: Security Engineer, Research Scientist

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Editorial summary, takeaway, and curation by AIssential. Original article published by TechCrunch.