New ‘unpatchable’ exploit allegedly found on Apple’s Secure Enclave chip, here’s what it could mean

guest · Aug 3, 2020

New ‘unpatchable’ exploit allegedly found on Apple’s Secure Enclave chip, here’s what it could mean
August 1, 2020
https://9to5mac.com/2020/08/01/new-...secure-enclave-chip-heres-what-it-could-mean/

One of the major security enhancements Apple has brought to its devices over the years is the Secure Enclave chip, which encrypts and protects all sensitive data stored on the devices. Last month, however, hackers claimed they found a permanent vulnerability in the Secure Enclave, which could put data from iPhone, iPad, and even Mac users at risk.
What is Secure Enclave?
The Secure Enclave is a security coprocessor included with almost every Apple device to provide an extra layer of security. All data stored on iPhone, iPad, Mac, Apple Watch, and other Apple devices is encrypted with random private keys, which are only accessible by the Secure Enclave. These keys are unique to your device and they’re never synchronized with iCloud.
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Even if you have a jailbroken device with full access to the system’s internal files, everything that’s managed by Secure Enclave remains protected.

Now, Chinese hackers from the Pangu Team have reportedly found an “unpatchable” exploit on Apple’s Secure Enclave chip that could lead to breaking the encryption of private security keys. An unpatchable exploit means that the vulnerability was found in the hardware and not the software, so there’s probably nothing Apple can do to fix it on devices that have already been shipped.
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Even though Apple has already fixed this security breach with the A12 and A13 Bionic chips, there are still millions of Apple devices running with the A11 Bionic or older chips that could be affected by this exploit.
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guest · Aug 3, 2020

Security Enclave vulnerability seems scary, but won't affect most iPhone users
August 3, 2020
https://appleinsider.com/articles/2...seems-scary-but-wont-affect-most-iphone-users

Security researchers have recently revealed a vulnerability in the Secure Enclave Processor, but while the data store for sensitive information means data including Apple Pay details and Face ID biometric records are potentially at risk to attackers, the reality is that it is still extremely unlikely to be a major issue for the vast majority of Apple customers.

Despite advising of the existence of the vulnerability at the conference, Team Pangu declined to provide many details about how it can be performed.
Not as bad as it seems
It is thought that the vulnerability only affects devices that are compatible with the checkra1n jailbreak or the checkm8 exploit.
Furthermore, as devices using an A12 or A13 system-on-chip do not currently have a BOOTROM exploit, it is practically impossible to determine if the bug exists, meaning it cannot affect the iPhone XS and iPhone XR generation or later iPhone models.
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The only real feasible reasons this could work would be if a government agency or law enforcement confiscated an iPhone as part of an investigation, or an extremely involved hack for political or corporate espionage reasons, situations most people won't find themselves in at all.
This is not the only time the Secure Enclave has seemingly shown weakness.
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The Student · Aug 11, 2020

Does this mean iPhone's older than the XS/XR can potentially be hijacked?

BoerenkoolMetWorst · Aug 12, 2020

The Student said: ↑

Does this mean iPhone's older than the XS/XR can potentially be hijacked?
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Yes: https://www.wilderssecurity.com/thr...-all-ios-devices-iphone-4s-to-iphone-x.421504

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New ‘unpatchable’ exploit allegedly found on Apple’s Secure Enclave chip, here’s what it could mean

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