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

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A company that sells spyware and hacking tools to government agencies has published details of a vulnerability in Apple chips that can potentially help hackers unlock older iPhones.

This release opens the door for other researchers who specialize in finding iOS vulnerabilities, such as those working for governments or their contractors, to develop effective hacks for iPhones, provided they can find additional vulnerabilities to chain together with this one. This could help security researchers develop a so-called iPhone jailbreak, a technique to hack into Apple’s mobile operating system and remove all the restrictions the company puts on it.

The release is also a reminder that while Apple has made iPhones extremely hard to hack, there are and will always be vulnerabilities that sophisticated hackers can take advantage of to break in.

On Friday, Paradigm Shift, an offensive cybersecurity company based in Barcelona, published a blog post about the vulnerability, which it dubbed “usbliter8.” The company also published a proof of concept that shows how to exploit the vulnerability, which requires physical access to the target phone. 

The flaw and related exploit affect iPhones that have Apple-made chips A12 and A13, which were released in 2018 and 2019, and are included in older iPhones such as the XS, XR and up to the iPhone 11.

The release of usbliter8 is significant in the world of security research and spyware and hacking tools’ makers, but it does not mean that older iPhones are easily hackable by anyone. 

The bug found by Paradigm Shift affects the iPhone’s Boot ROM, which is the first piece of code that runs when an iPhone is turned on and, consequently, its first line of defense against hackers. To hack an iPhone with physical access to it — meaning having the ability to connect a cable to it — hackers need to first exploit the Boot ROM. Now, they can do that thanks to usbliter8, which allows them to potentially defeat and bypass further security checks.

Paradigm Shift wrote in its blog that “as these vulnerabilities reside in immutable code, affected users should be aware that migrating to newer hardware remains the most effective mitigation.” 

In other words, given that the Boot ROM is burned into the chip, it can’t be changed and flaws in it cannot be patched.

Generally speaking, companies that sell systems to hack iPhones seized by authorities, such as Cellebrite and Magnet Forensics need, and likely already have at their disposal, techniques similar to usbliter8 to break into iPhones. However, hackers still need to incorporate other techniques to access the user data stored in the phone.

Public iPhone jailbreaks were relatively widespread in the past, but they have become rarer in the last decade. Jailbreaking an iPhone is often the first step to either research other vulnerabilities on the system. Researchers — intent on finding valuable iPhone flaws and ways to exploit them — have few incentives to release that information publicly, because that would lead to Apple fixing the flaws and setting the researchers back.

Paradigm Shift did not respond to a series of questions related to usbliter8.

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Benue Killing: Blood of innocent cries for justice, we want peace – David Mark

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The National Chairman of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, David Mark, has said that the blood of innocent people who were killed in Benue State is crying for justice.

Mark said the people terrorising communities of the state should be held fully accountable by the law because it is important to maintain peace across the state.

In a statement from his media aide, Kola Ologbondiyan, the ADC National Chairman called on the Federal Government to act quickly and firmly to stop the ongoing killings and kidnappings in Benue and Plateau states.

Mark’s comment comes amid the occurrence of renewed violence which has led to the killing of 16 people in Otukpo area of Benue State, and nine others in Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State, by groups believed to be armed militias.

He said: “It’s not acceptable that innocent Nigerians are still being killed in their communities and that people are being taken away on our roads. The main job of any government is to keep people and their belongings safe.

“Every life lost is one too many, and every attack that isn’t stopped only makes the attackers bolder.”

Mark urged the Armed Forces, the Nigeria Police Force, the Department of State Services, and other security groups to increase their efforts against the people responsible for the attacks.

He asked for better intelligence collection, ongoing monitoring of communities that are at risk and major roads, and quick sending of security officers to areas where attacks are likely to happen.

He also asked for urgent search-and-rescue efforts to save the passengers who were taken from the Benue Links bus.

Mark said that the people who carried out the killings and kidnappings should be found, caught, and put on trial quickly to stop what he called a growing culture of getting away with crimes.

“No Nigerian community should be left to face armed criminals and violent groups,” Mark said, asking the federal government to handle the worsening security situation in Benue with the seriousness it requires.

“The blood of innocent Benue people cries out for justice. This is the time for decisive action not routine assurances.

“Those who murder innocent citizens and terrorise our communities must face the full wrath of the law. Benue deserves peace, our people deserve to live without fear.”

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OK Movement disowns self acclaimed merger group leader, Ogunche Sani

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OK Movement, support group for the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC presidential and vice presidential candidates, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso have disowned a self acclaimed National Executive Committee Director of the Obidients Kwankwasiyya Merger, Ogunche Sani.

In a statement issued on Monday, the OK Movement said it was unaware of the group and the acclaimed Director.

OK Movement also dismissed a flyer currently being circulated on social media by Sani, stating it did not emanate from the Ob-Kwankwaso support group.

The statement signed by the National Director General of the OK Movement, John Ozyl Ughulu, urged the general public to disregard the flyer.

The statement reads, “Please be informed that the OK Movement is not affiliated with this group or organization in any way, and we do not recognize Mr Ogunche Sani or his claimed position.

“The OK Movement is led by Hon John Ozyl Ughulu, the National Director General of the Movement, and all official communications are issued only through our recognized leadership and authorized platforms.

“We therefore advise all our members not to share any information, personal data, or official OK Movement materials with any individual or organization claiming to represent the OK Movement without proper authorization.

“Please remain vigilant against any form of impersonation or misrepresentation”.

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