Tihmstar gains root access on iOS 11.4.1, inches closer to a jailbreak

After a few uncertain months, the jailbreak scene seems to be on the mend. Tihmstar recently achieved root access on iOS 11.4, the last non-jailbroken iteration of the iOS 11 firmware.      

Tihmstar is working on an iOS 11.4.1 jailbreak

Doubleh3lix developer Tihmstar is working on a new jailbreak aimed at iOS 11.4-11.4.1 firmware versions.

Yesterday, the German hacker was able to achieve read privileges to the kernel. A day after tinkering with the exploit, he managed to gain root access (tfp0 patch) as well.

But here’s the catch – Tihmstar is unable to make his exploit work with devices without the headphone jack (iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 plus).   

There’s a high probability that the hacker will try to release a g0blin jailbreak clone for iOS 11.4.x at first.   

This will likely be achieved using Luca Todesco’s yalu102 KPP bypass, which was developed originally for iOS 11 but is still compatible with iOS 11. 

Why are A10 devices incompatible?     

At the very outset, it looks like the exploit relies on the headphone jack. However, that isn’t the case according to several experienced developers.

Actually, Tihmstar is unable to develop an effective bypass for KTRR, a security mechanism Apple introduced in iPhone 7. 

Therefore, this exploit will work only with iPhone SE and older models – unless Tihmstar finds a way to defeat KTRR.     

In spite of this shortcoming, it may be possible to develop a KPPless jailbreak with it in the future and extend compatibility to A10 models.  

Wen eta iOS 11.4.1 jailbreak?

iOS 11.4.1 holds a lot of importance from a jailbreaking perspective because of two reasons.

First, it’s the final build of iOS 11 firmware and having a jailbreak for it will ensure that the entire iOS 11 lineup gets jailbroken.

Second, a lot of jailbreak enthusiasts who resisted the temptation to update to iOS 12 are still sitting tight on iOS 11.4.x.   

iOS 11.4.1 jailbreak

It’s not known whether Tihmstar intends to develop a jailbreak himself or open source his exploit for the greater good.

Either way, it’s a win-win situation for the community and we surely will end up with a jailbreak very soon.

Pwn20wnd, the developer behind unc0ver jailbreak, has already announced that he will push an update for iOS 11.4.x when an exploit goes public. 

Which operating system is your iPhone running right now? Leave your comments in the comments section below.     

2 Comments

  1. Serhat January 11, 2019
    • Gian January 12, 2019

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