A Barcelona-based offensive cybersecurity company published details in June 2026 of a vulnerability in older Apple chips that could allow hackers with physical access to unlock and break into certain iPhones.
Paradigm Shift, which sells spyware and hacking tools to government agencies, released a blog post on Friday describing the flaw, which it named “usbliter8,” along with a proof-of-concept exploit. The vulnerability affects iPhones running Apple’s A12 and A13 chips — released in 2018 and 2019 — including the iPhone XS, XR, and models up to the iPhone 11.
The flaw resides in the iPhone’s Boot ROM, the first piece of code that runs when the device powers on. Because the Boot ROM is burned directly into the chip, the vulnerability cannot be patched through a software update. Paradigm Shift noted in its blog post that “migrating to newer hardware remains the most effective mitigation” for affected users.
Exploiting usbliter8 requires physical access to the target device — specifically, the ability to connect a cable to it. The flaw could allow hackers to bypass the iPhone’s initial security checks, potentially opening the door to a full jailbreak. However, additional vulnerabilities would need to be chained together with this one to fully access user data stored on the phone.
The release is significant for security researchers and makers of phone-forensics tools. Companies such as Cellebrite and Magnet Forensics, which sell systems to unlock iPhones seized by authorities, likely already possess similar techniques, according to the source material. Public iPhone jailbreaks have become increasingly rare over the past decade as Apple has hardened its security.
The disclosure serves as a reminder that even heavily secured devices can carry exploitable flaws. Paradigm Shift did not respond to questions about the release.
Source: TechCrunch