Jailbreak exploit is only significant for security researchers; Average users will not be overly affected

Last week, a security researcher released an iOS exploit that can potentially result in a jailbreak that’s going to be permanent. The exploit has so many possibilities that some people in the jailbreaking scene called it the second golden age for the community.

Called checkm8, the exploit is taking advantage of Apple’s bootrom that is targeting the initial code that iOS devices first load when booting up. As such, the tech giant can’t do anything about the exploit as it would need to recall millions of devices to address the vulnerability. It should be noted, however, that no permanent jailbreak has been made just yet.

It’s just that the possibility is there, although it’s still waiting for someone to actually create it. But beyond jailbreaking, checkm8 doesn’t necessarily affect an average user all that much.

Jailbreak and the need to be tethered

Sure, there are security concerns to be noted. But physical access is still needed to take advantage of the exploit, not to mention it’ll have to be “tethered,” meaning it needs to be connected to a computer to trigger the jailbreak process. What’s more, every time that the device is restarted, the user will have to tether it yet again, WIRED reported.

There’s also the fact that jailbreaking a device now isn’t as significant as it once was. In the early days, using jailbreak methods have been prevalent as there were significant features absent in iOS. Simple multitasking was absent, there was no copy and paste feature, and a customizable home screen was restricted.

Jailbreak isn’t all that appealing anymore

That all changed through the years as Apple has slowly improved its operating system to make it more appealing to users without the need to jailbreak their phones. And with apps like AltStore getting released for free, there’s little incentive to jailbreak a device nowadays, especially considering the fact that it can open a user up for malicious exploits, TheVerge reported.

Put simply, while the jailbreaking community is ecstatic for checkm8, everyday users won’t have much use for this exploit. But for anyone who is curious to play with checm8, you can find the exploit here. Again, the tool opens up a lot of doors for someone who knows their way around this technology, so feel free to push the boundaries to its limit.