Older iPhones storing crypto seed phrases face physical BootROM attack risk
VULNERABILITYredteam/daily · 1 source
- Severity
- Medium
- Sources
- 1
What happened
Researchers disclosed the usbliter8 BootROM exploit in June 2026, which extends checkm8-style attacks to Apple's A12 and A13 chips, including the iPhone XS, XR, iPhone 11 family and second-generation iPhone SE. An attacker with physical access and cheap USB hardware can run unsigned code before iOS loads, but the Secure Enclave is not directly compromised, so wallet theft would need further weaknesses. OneKey founder Yishi warns that wiping and offlining an old iPhone does not make it a secure cold wallet.
For IT people · Written by AI from 1 source · Wrong?
What to do
- Check whether your iPhone is an affected model, such as the iPhone X or earlier, or the XS, XR, 11 family or second-generation SE.
- Install available security updates, while noting that updates cannot fix the BootROM flaw itself.
- Do not rely on airplane mode as a complete defence for a phone holding a cryptocurrency seed phrase.
- If you believe a stored seed was exposed, generate a new seed in a trusted environment and transfer your funds to it.
Written by AI from the sources, checked against them
Full story timeline · 1 update
Who reported · 1 outlet
Cyber Security News