Leaked iOS code

Source code from iOS 9 appears online – but fear not

The inner workings of Apple’s operating systems are a closely guarded secret.

Still, that didn’t stop the source code for iBoot leaking onto code repository site GitHub.

Specifically, the code appears to be for iOS 9’s version of iBoot, a component that ensures the operating system starts up correctly. Some files are missing, so the code is of limited use, but may still expose weaknesses in iOS.

There’s no immediate need to panic – the code is from an older version of iOS, and is likely to have been superseded in some places. Moreover, Apple issued a statement shortly after the code leaked stating that iOS is formed in such a way that its security does not depend on its source code – so you aren’t likely to get compromised any time soon due to this leak.

It has emerged that the code was leaked by a low‑level Apple employee, who shared it with friends interested in jailbreaking iOS devices. Apparently, there was no intention to let the code out into the wild, but it still somehow made its way onto GitHub.