Researchers at Paradigm Shift have released an extensive report detailing a significant security vulnerability affecting various Apple devices. This issue, known as "usbliter8", pertains to the USB interface and several Apple silicon chips.
The usbliter8 exploit impacts devices powered by A12, A13, S4, and S5 chips. These include the iPhone XR, iPhone XS/XS Max, iPad Air 3, iPad mini 5, iPad 8, second-generation Apple TV 4K, iPhone 11, 11 Pro/11 Pro Max, iPhone SE, iPad 9, Studio Display, Apple Watch Series 4, Series 5, and Apple Watch SE. Owners of these devices should remain vigilant.
The vulnerability is rooted in a hardware bug associated with the USB system and specific firmware configuration flaws, rendering the issue unpatchable. Notably, attackers must physically possess the device to exploit this flaw.
In DFU (Device Firmware Upgrade) mode, an attacker can transmit certain data to the device via USB. This confuses the USB controller, causing it to write data to incorrect memory locations, effectively injecting custom code before iOS boots. As a result, signature checks can be bypassed, allowing the execution of modified system software.
Fortunately, the exploit does not compromise the Security Enclave, which protects encrypted data such as passcodes and other sensitive information.
So, what are the next steps? Researchers indicate that Apple has collaborated with them to address the issue; however, upgrading to a newer device is presently the most effective safeguard against potential data theft for those currently using affected models. It's worth noting that older devices running on the A11 chip and earlier are not impacted by this security flaw.
Source
