If you’re looking to unlock an iPhone, security firm Cellebrite may not be able to help you.
A series of leaked documents claim that Cellebite software used by law enforcement agencies cannot unlock any more recent models than 2018’s iPhone XR if they’ve been updated to iOS 17.4.
Cellebrite, which has always kept its iPhone unlocking techniques a secret and asks its law enforcement customers not to divulge the information, seems to have noted in a leaked April 2024 document listing which iPhones it can unlocked.
Per 404 Media, two documents were obtained from a Cellebrite customer and sent anonymously to the publication, with one covering iPhones, and one for Android. The documents include a matrix listing all phone types, ranges of iOS updates, and how they can be unlocked.
A series of iPhone models and iOS categories are listed as either “Coming Soon,” or “in Research.” Among these, the iPhone 12, iPhone 13, and iPhone 14 ranges are listed as “Coming soon” from iOS 17.1 to iOS 17.3.1.
All of them are currently listed as being able to be unlocked up to iOS 17.0.3.
As of the document’s April 2024 date, these model iPhones cannot yet be unlocked if they are running iOS 17.4 or later:
- iPhone XR, iPhone XS, iPhone XS Max
- iPhone 11, iPhone 11 Pro, iPhone 11 Pro Max
- iPhone SE (second generation), iPhone SE (third generation)
- iPhone 13, iPhone 13 Pro, iPhone 13 Pro Max, iPhone 13 mini
- iPhone 14, iPhone 14 Plus, iPhone 14 Pro, iPhone 14 Pro Max
- iPhone 15, iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max
Each of these is listed as being “in research.”
The iPhone 15 Plus is missing from this list, although this data surfaced from a segment of the leaked document, and the model could be listed separately. It’s unlikely that the model is vulnerable when the rest of the iPhone 15 range is not.
Apple released iOS 17.4 in March 2024. It was followed in May 2024 by iOS 17.5 with iOS 17.6 currently in its beta stages of development.
Stay tuned for additional details as they become available.
Via AppleInsider and 404 Media