The first jailbreak for iPhones available for years has been released after Apple Inc. unpatched a vulnerability it had previously fixed that allows the practice to occur.

Jailbreaking is the process of hacking an iOS device to allow users to remove software restrictions put in place by Apple. A jailbroken phone delivers the ability to install third-party software that is not available in the App Store as well as giving users the ability to customize the devices.

The process was semipopular for some years but Apple mostly put a stop to the process — that is, until now.

The new jailbreak, released by Pwn20wnd today, exploits a vulnerability in the operating system that had been patched by Apple in version 12.3. As it takes advantage of a previous vulnerability, the jailbreak also includes support for iOS devices running versions iOS 11.0x and later except for iOS 12.3.

While the new jailbreak will be welcomed by some, the very same vulnerability that allows the jailbreak to take place also presents a security risk to users. Pwn20ed told Motherboard that using the vulnerability, “somebody could make a perfect spyware” such as a malicious app that includes an exploit for the bug top allow them to steal user data. Worse still, a hacker could also potentially exploit the vulnerability via a malicious web page in the right circumstances.

Thank you for your hard work 🙌🏾@Pwn20wnd Im so fuckin lit with this jailbreak! iOS 12.4 iPhone 7 Plus successful! 📲✅ pic.twitter.com/EpFoTm6drV

— Yosy Rosales (@yosy1692) August 19, 2019

Blake Collins, research analyst at website security firm SiteLock LLC told SiliconANGLE that although jailbreaking and rooting are great options for consumers who want to have more control over the software on their devices, the phones are now vulnerable to spyware or worse.

“The implications for this are far-reaching,” Collins explained. “This toolkit makes phones an easier target for malware and spyware. When you jailbreak your phone in this manner, you are making personal and private data on your phone more accessible in unforeseen ways.”

In fact, photos, emails, phone numbers and possibly even banking data could be stolen if an installed app exploited these escalated privileges. “For those who want to have the flexibility that comes with a jailbroken phone, it’s critical that you’re educated on all the vulnerabilities and security issues this opens up for you,” he said.

Apple has yet to respond to the reports, but with the details of the jailbreak in the wild, it’s likely that an iOS version with the vulnerability once again patched will not be long in coming.

Photo: Pxhere