The
anonymous hacker who jailbroke iOS 12.4 via a recycled bug has confirmed on
Twitter that Apple’s latest update for iPhones and iPads kills the jailbreak.
A
vulnerability patched by Apple in iOS 12.3 was accidentally reintroduced by the
iPhone maker in the recent iOS 12.4 release. A hacker by the Twitter alias @Pwn20wnd
took advantage of Apple’s slip up and developed a jailbreak, a rare hack that lets
iPhone users install unauthorized apps on their devices. The company has issued
a patch for the hack in iOS 12.4.1, the latest version of the operating system
powering iPhones, iPads, as well as iPod touch players.
“I can
confirm the exploit was patched in iOS 12.4.1,” Pwn20wnd tweeted. The hacker tells those looking to
keep their jailbreak to refrain from installing the patch. However, @Pwn20wnd
is the first to admit that users on iOS 12.4 are leaving themselves vulnerable
to spyware.
“For example, he said, a malicious app could include an exploit for this bug that allows it to escape the usual iOS sandbox—a mechanism that prevents apps from reaching data of other apps or the system—and steal user data,” according to Motherboard.
In a Support article detailing the patch, Apple credits the hacker for his
“assistance,” seeming to mirror the hacker’s own ironic praise for Apple after
re-exposing a known bug.
iDevice
owners are strongly advised against installing jailbreak software. Instead, owners
of any iPhone 5s and later, iPad Air and later, or iPod touch 6th generation
should install iOS 12.4.1 without undue delay. To download the patch, on your
iDevice go to Settings -> General -> Software Update and choose Download
and Install.