WebKit Security Exploit Could Lead to an iOS 15 – iOS 15.3 Jailbreak

BY Smidh

Published 14 Feb 2022

iOS 15 Beta

The iOS 15 jailbreaking scene has not seen any notable action since the release of the OS last year. Security researchers did find a couple of security exploits in the OS, but they were not used to build a jailbreak tool. Apple recently also released iOS 15.3.1 to patch a WebKit security exploit that affects all compatible iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 models. Now, the same exploit could pave the way for a jailbreak solution for iOS 15 – iOS 15.3.

As Apple states in the release notes, the security vulnerability in iOS 15 – iOS 15.3 could have been “actively exploited” for arbitrary code execution, with @ZecOps noting that it was used in the wild as a 0-day. In some scenarios, the vulnerable devices could be hacked by clicking on a link.

A developer could possibly use this exploit to build a jailbreak tool for iOS 15 – iOS 15.3. With Apple still signing iOS 15.3, it is a good idea to downgrade your iPhone back to it if you want to jailbreak it — the signing window should close in a couple of days from now.

At this point, it is all in theory that someone could use the WebKit security exploit patched in iOS 15.3.1 to release a jailbreak tool. No jailbreak tool for iOS 15 has been released so far. The only notable activity since iOS 15’s release last month has been the release of Unc0ver v8 late last year with jailbreak support for iPhone XS and iPhone running iOS 14.6 – iOS 14.8.