back to article Apple's top-secret iBoot firmware source code spills onto GitHub for some insane reason

The confidential source code to Apple's iBoot firmware in iPhones, iPads and other iOS devices has leaked into a public GitHub repo. The closed-source code is top-secret, proprietary, copyright Apple, and yet has been quietly doing the rounds between security researchers and device jailbreakers on Reddit for four or so months …

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  1. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    It's not that hard to find.

    Link

    1. wolfetone Silver badge

      Who knew the actual code for iBoot were song lyrics?

    2. The Man Who Fell To Earth Silver badge
      FAIL

      Yet another example

      Of why any government mandated backdoors will make everyone insecure in short order. The NSA's tools eventually got exposed, Microsoft's Windows code eventually got exposed, Apple's code eventually got exposed, ...

      1. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Yet another example

        "Microsoft's Windows code eventually got exposed"

        Microsoft source code to nearly anything is available for inspection on request anyway.

        1. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Yet another example

          >>>Microsoft source code to nearly anything is available for inspection on request anyway.

          Gonna take them up on that... have a few beers and sit there laughing.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Re: Yet another example

        Windows and now iOS, Linux is next.

        1. bombastic bob Silver badge
          Pint

          Re: Yet another example

          "Windows and now iOS, Linux is next."

          subtle. nice! beer for you!

    3. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      "It's not that hard to find."

      I'm not sure whats more startling - that this source code escaped from cupertino or that some people still think rick rolling is still amusing in 2018.

      Google "github iboot" for a proper link.

      1. Hollerithevo

        what?

        @Boltar, rick rolling is always amusing. It will always be amusing. After nuclear armageedon, the cockroaches will be rick-rolling. It is forever.

      2. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Of all the things he could have linked to, Rick Rolling is pretty courteous.

        1. phuzz Silver badge

          I was expecting it to be a link to "These iBoots Are Made for Walking" by Dolly Parton

          1. JimmyPage Silver badge

            "These iBoots Are Made for Walking" by Dolly Parton

            Nancy Sinatra, surely ?

            1. Gio Ciampa

              Re: "These iBoots Are Made for Walking" by Dolly Parton

              I prefer the Megadeth version...

          2. Mark 56

            Nancy Sinatra - FTW!

          3. Aaron Kulkis

            Optional Title Here

            "I was expecting it to be a link to "These iBoots Are Made for Walking" by Dolly Parton"

            Dolly Parton?

            Don't be a cretin. Nancy Sinatra did it quite well, and there was no need for covers by Tennessee floozies.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Yep rick rolling infinitely more preferable to a Lemon party.

      3. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        @boltar

        Oh Boltar, life is full of depressing things all around us so sometimes it's nice to do something silly that even if only a few see the funny side then it's worth it. If people didn't do that we would live in a world devoid of humour. and humour is one of the best escapes from the drudgery that can be life.

        1. VinceH

          " if only a few see the funny side then it's worth it"

          Sometimes, if only a few see the funny side, that makes it funnier.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          "If people didn't do that we would live in a world devoid of humour. and humour is one of the best escapes from the drudgery that can be life."

          I thought it was a link to some code but it was a naff 80s pop song instead! Ha ha ha! Hilarious!! OMG is there a doctor in the house, my sides have split!!!

          It was amusing for about 5 minutes the first time around 10 years ago, but hey, if thats your level of humour then good on you. You probably also enjoy Mrs Browns Boys and piss yourself laughing at crazy frog videos too, However some of us have more sophisticated tastes. HTH.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            So your more of a high brow humour man, eh?

            How about this?

            A programmers wife tells him: "Run to the store and pick up a loaf of bread. If they have eggs, get a dozen." The programmer comes home with 12 loaves of bread.

            or we could go for this?

            Did you hear about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.

            Lighten up please, I also can't stand Mrs Browns Boys or crazy frog.

          2. Throatwarbler Mangrove Silver badge
            Trollface

            @boltar

            At first, I thought, "This is almost certainly a rickroll. How droll." Reading the comments proved me right, but then I read your replies and now I'm genuinely amused. Who knew that a simple YouTube video could cause such aggravation?

          3. bombastic bob Silver badge
            Trollface

            "You probably also enjoy Mrs Browns Boys and piss yourself laughing at crazy frog videos"

            Ring, ding-ding-ding, ding, ding,

            Ring, ding-ding-ding, bim-bim-bim

            ...

          4. Mat

            @Boltar - you're a knob!

          5. Wayland

            @boltar,

            It's even more amusing that you got Rick Rolled and are annoyed by it.

        3. Someone Else Silver badge
          Coat

          Oh Boltar, life is full of depressing things all around us so sometimes it's nice to do something silly that even if only a few see the funny side then it's worth it. If people didn't do that we would live in a world devoid of humour. and humour is one of the best escapes from the drudgery that can be life.

          And, it is currently the only antidote to Herr Lügenführer Trump.

        4. Serg

          Oh..

          Oh no it's not!

      4. Spacedinvader
        Stop

        Own fault

        Not our fault if you clicked a shortened URL without checking the source...

        1. David Nash Silver badge
          Facepalm

          Re: Own fault

          It was obvious that was what it was going to be. Or worse, I guess. Whatever it was, I wasn't going to click it.

        2. Anonymous Coward
          Anonymous Coward

          Re: Own fault

          "Not our fault if you clicked a shortened URL without checking the source..."

          I naively assumed this place was populated by adults, not adolescents.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Own fault

            I think that makes it even better. It never happens here, it'll hopefully never happen again, but I appreciate it as a one off.

            1. Anonymous Coward
              Anonymous Coward

              Re: Own fault

              I won't be doing it ever again, the delete and re-enable by our esteemed moderators tell me it was a bit naughty but they do have a sense of humour.

          2. BRYN

            Re: Own fault

            and therein was your first mistake

          3. JoshOvki

            Re: Own fault

            "I naively assumed this place was populated by adults, not adolescents."

            What in the world have you that impression?! You have a silver badge and should know better.

        3. JohnFen

          Re: Own fault

          How can you check the contents without clicking the link? Personally, I never click on shortened URLs, in part because there's no way of knowing where they'll take you.

          1. Anonymous Coward
            Anonymous Coward

            Re: Own fault

            There are sites that will give info about them, i.e.

            http://www.checkshorturl.com

            1. JohnFen

              Re: Own fault

              "http://www.checkshorturl.com"

              Hey, thanks! Good to know. It's still much easier to simply not click them, but I'll keep this in my back pocket in just in case.

      5. Anonymous Coward
        Anonymous Coward

        Perhaps it's a callback to the 2004 MS leak.

      6. jelabarre59

        I'm not sure whats more startling - that this source code escaped from cupertino or that some people still think rick rolling is still amusing in 2018.

        Ah, but this one is so much better (the teal-haired one, obviously).

        https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=orbjuMHZ4k4

    4. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      @AC

      git.

    5. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      I din't click on the Link but it's good to see Rick Rolling is still a thing

    6. tim 13

      That was really annoying, it interrupted me listening to Rick Astley

    7. Lord_Beavis

      RE: It's not that hard to find

      "Anonymous Coward

      It's not that hard to find.

      Link"

      Damn you sir. Damn you to Hell.

    8. Dave Walker 1

      just waiting to be rickrolled...

      (and I hadn't read the rest of the comments...)

    9. Oh Homer
      Pint

      Re: "It's not that hard to find."

      "The uploader has not made this video available in your country."

      Ironically the same technology that allows me to anonymously download content from GitHub, whilst pretending to live in Ghana, also prevents me from being Rickrolled.

  2. alain williams Silver badge

    My device - I'll jail break it if I want to ...

    or that should be what happens. I accept that if I jail break it that I loose any guarantee that the software works as Apple/whoever intended - although that is part of the point.

    1. seven of five

      Re: My device - I'll jail break it if I want to ...

      Yes, if you break it, you get to keep the pieces. Or something along these lines.

    2. Anonymous Coward
      Anonymous Coward

      Re: My device - I'll jail break it if I want to ...

      And Apple have the right to prevent your access to the store.

      1. lglethal Silver badge
        Go

        Re: My device - I'll jail break it if I want to ...

        @Lost all faith

        I'm kinda interest why you think that should be the case. A store by its definition is there to sell things. Mostly third party programs. If Apple said you cant buy official Apple things after jailbreaking, thats fine thats a company decision. But saying you cant buy a third party's products because you did something they dont like seems unwarranted and excessive.

        Not an apple user but just curious...

        1. peter_dtm
          FAIL

          Re: My device - I'll jail break it if I want to ...

          Um; no.

          Apple’s AppStore - Apple’s rules.

          Nothing to stop you (or anyone else) writing Apple Hardware based Apps and offering them for sale/giveaway. Just Apple won’t let you do it through their Apple AppStore

          Of course you may have non disclosure issues if you write for the real Apple AppStore; so you may have to make a decision to either play in APPLE’s AppStore under their T&C - or play in some one else’s AppStore. You may have problems getting any ‘Footfall’ though & you may find no one wants to play in your AppStore - especially if you can not/will not warrant your apps as malicious code free

          Your device - jail break it; run it over; feed it to a great white shark - whatever floats your boat. But don’t claim Apple stops you - or prevents you from downloading any old piece of dodgy code if you leave their rather safer walled garden. You just won’t be allowed to use APPLE utilities/web sites/AppStores to do so. But then that is the point you appear to be missing - Apple OWN the infrastructure; you can play - or not - if you want to. See what happens if you get any piece of equipment modified by no approved ‘fixers’ if you then complain to the OEM that it is bust

          1. teknopaul

            Re: My device - I'll jail break it if I want to ...

            Your right, we dont need fair use rules, let the corps make up what ever rules they like as long as they get rich, we consumers dont matter.

            We all have the the right to stop using the Internet if we dont want to be guided by megacorp round their walled garden.

            Apple got away with loads of stuff by being niche provider for those willing to pay the idiot-tax. Not sure that applies any more.

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