iPhone X Has Successfully Been Jailbroken, But Does It Matter?

Just a week after Apple launched its high-end iPhone X flagship, one iOS developer has publicly demonstrated how to execute a fully functional jailbreak of the OLED-equipped device running the latest iOS 11.1.1 firmware released yesterday.

At the annual Power of Community (POC) hacking and security conference, 2017, which was held this week in Seoul, South Korea, Mr. Liang Chen of cybersecurity firm KeenLab showcased the process by which he used code to jailbreak iPhone X, which you see for yourself in the group’s Tweet below.

The revelation has prompted a wave of excitement among members of the once-vibrant iOS hacking community, which has unfortunately fizzled out to an extent over the years, as Apple has not only ramped up its iOS privacy and security initiatives, but has also become increasingly crafty in its attempts to discourage hackers from creating and/or distributing their exploits. Likewise, the Cupertino-company has become quicker and more vigilant with regards to patching known vulnerabilities before they become larger than life.

As Redmond Pie pointed out, above and beyond the blurry video of Chen demonstrating his jailbreak, there’s unfortunately no available information about his technique or the code he employed. The KeenLab hacker has not released the code or put together any formal write-up of how it can be carried out at home — nor do we know, at this point, if he ever will. However, KeenLab has released its official jailbreak for iOS 11.0.3.

Does It Matter?

Realistically, the likelihood that this particular exploit will ever see the light of day is slim to none — simply considering Chen’s prominence as a hacker affiliated with KeenLab. So it’s more likely the current exploit will be sold off to another firm — or even Apple, itself, who’s known to shell out big bucks for “white hat” hacker tools of the sort.