Alibaba hacker Min Zheng runs root shell on iOS 11.3

Some good progress is being made on the iOS 11.3 front as Min Zheng inches closer to full-blown root access. Here’s what this means for the jailbreak community.

Root shell achieved on iOS 11.3

Alibaba security researcher Min Zheng has successfully achieved root access on iOS 11.3. For those who don’t know, root shell allows you to execute shell commands with “root” user privileges.

Since jailbreak itself is another word for “root access”, achieving root privileges is a monumental step towards a full-fledged jailbreak tool. 

Here’s what the hacker posted on Twitter.

Previously, he also teased kernel vulnerability for iOS 11.3 firmware.

Remember, these bugs, though powerful enough for a jailbreak, are useless for the jailbreak community in their present form.

Will Zheng publicly release this vulnerability? 

Min Zheng doesn’t enjoy a good reputation in the security scene and, especially, the jailbreak community. The reason behind this is the lack of documentation and details about his vulnerabilities.

Even though Zheng doesn’t release his exploits or vulnerabilities publicly, he might make an exception this time.

He previously stated that he was in touch with Apple’s security team and will disclose the vulnerabilities privately.

iOS hacker

Apple allows hackers enrolled in their bug bounty program to reveal their bugs, but only after 90 days of a firmware update.

No matter what happens, it’s still good to know that even the latest versions are exploitable. If you are on iOS 11.3, stay there or else stay on the lowest firmware possible.

You can read more about the vulnerabilities discovered in iOS 11.3 so far below.

For more iOS security news and updates, follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

2 Comments

  1. Captain Croatia April 19, 2018
    • iOS Expert April 19, 2018

Leave a Reply

Share via
Copy link
Powered by Social Snap