Lawsuit Filed After Apple's A12 and A13 Chips Hit With New Unpatchable Exploit

[MacRumors]

Last month, cybersecurity research firm Paradigm Shift published details about a boot ROM vulnerability affecting Apple's A12 and A13 chips, but it has since removed the blog post after being sued by digital forensics firm Magnet Forensics.

In a complaint filed in Georgia federal court this month, Magnet Forensics alleged that the security vulnerability revealed by Paradigm Shift was substantially the same as the one its former employee Mario Del Gaudio worked on before joining Paradigm Shift. Accordingly, Magnet Forensics alleged that Del Gaudio exposed its trade secrets.

Apple's A12 and A13 chips power the iPhone XS and iPhone 11 series, along with select other devices. A boot ROM vulnerability cannot be patched with an iOS update, as it involves code permanently embedded in the chip's read-only memory.

Article Link: Lawsuit Filed After Apple's A12 and A13 Chips Hit With New Unpatchable Exploit

 

[AAPLbuyback]

What a colossal waste of time for everyone.

 

[Killerbob]

The iPhone 11 came out in what, 2019? That's 7 years ago. Who cares?

 

[EugW]

The iPhone 11 came out in what, 2019? That's 7 years ago. Who cares?

As of mid 2026, it is estimated that about 1/5 to 1/4 of all iPhones in active use are actually iPhone 11 series and earlier.

 

[allpar]

The iPhone 11 came out in what, 2019? That's 7 years ago. Who cares?

Since we're using one, I guess we do. I just moved on from my XR.

 

[BeatsByTim]

The iPhone 11 came out in what, 2019? That's 7 years ago. Who cares?

A lot of people buy used phones. And most people don't upgrade their phones every year. Especially in countries and communities where abusive state actors might want to purchase vulnerabilities to spy on people.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

iPhone 11 is getting iOS 27. Apple wouldn’t upgrade the 11 if no one was using it.

 

[PBG4 Dude]

I never said the update would fix it. I was pointing out that Apple still considers the 11 to be a current device, in contrast to earlier posters positing this model isn’t being used anymore.

 

[zarmanto]

Hot take: I just think it's vaguely refreshing to see an article about legal action on MacRumors that doesn't directly involve Apple's own lawyers in some way. 😅

 

[allpar]

I never said the update would fix it. I was pointing out that Apple still considers the 11 to be a current device, in contrast to earlier posters positing this model isn’t being used anymore.

Sorry, I wasn't sure which side you were on 😉

 

[danpass]

well, well ....

"Why Companies Keep Flaws Secret
Forensic firms like Magnet Forensics operate under a strict commercial zero-day model. They intentionally do not disclose vulnerabilities to vendors like Apple for two reasons: [1]

• Product Utility: Their entire business model relies on selling hardware boxes (like GrayKey) to law enforcement and intelligence agencies to extract evidence from locked iPhones. If they disclose a vulnerability to Apple, Apple may find architectural or software mitigation techniques that render the forensic tools obsolete. [1]
• Competitive Edge: Keeping unpatchable SecureROM capabilities secret ensures that rival forensics firms cannot copy the technique and implement it into competing law enforcement tools. [1, 2]"

 

[svish]

Disappointing that it was discovered only recently and that there is no way to fix it!!

 

[MrSkoTA]

‘I found the hack!’
‘No I found the hack!’
‘It was mine first’
Apple - ‘oh yeah!?! We CREATED IT SO both of ya SOD OFF!’

 

[surfzen21]

The iPhone 11 came out in what, 2019? That's 7 years ago. Who cares?

I still use mine as my work phone and ill probably hold onto it as long as I can since it still has a physical sim slot unlike my new iPhones.

It works perfectly fine for what I use it for, calls, texts and emails.

 

[Killerbob]

As of mid 2026, it is estimated that about 1/5 to 1/4 of all iPhones in active use are actually iPhone 11 series and earlier.

That actually surprises me. Maybe I live in a priviledged part of the world (Canada), but I don't think I see any iPhones that old anymore.

I just think it is a sad world when people feel entitled enough to actually complain over an issue, that was not an issue when the device was launched over 6 years ago. And if you are still using an iPhone 11, perhaps it's time to upgrade...

 

[Rychiar]

The iPhone 11 came out in what, 2019? That's 7 years ago. Who cares?

I bought my mom one brand new from Apple a few years back cus it was the cheapest iPhone ya could buy new at the time and she’s still happily using it

 

[EugW]

That actually surprises me. Maybe I live in a priviledged part of the world (Canada), but I don't think I see any iPhones that old anymore.

I just think it is a sad world when people feel entitled wnough to actually complain over an issue, that was not an issue when the device was launched over 6 years ago. And if yuo are still using an iPhone 11, perhaps it's time to upgrade...

I live in Canada too and we are fairly well off, but we would still have an XR in use by one of our kids if the XR hadn't died last year. That means it had a life of ~7 years until it died. We replaced it with a 16e. I would have preferred to get a refurbished 15 Pro, but they weren't available from Apple Canada at the time, and I didn't think a new 15 was a great value considering it cost more than the 16e, didn't support AI, and had significantly worse battery life. MagSafe support isn't an issue since we always get MagSafe cases anyway.

BTW, back in the day when the iPhone minis were still around, I noticed that the kids in our local school would shun them despite their lower price and would instead get regular sized iPhones on the used market that were 3-4 years old.

In effect, we are doing the same thing in our family. The parents get new phones and use them for 4-5 years, and then they get passed down to the kids to use for several more years (after a battery replacement).

iPhone 11 is getting iOS 27. Apple wouldn’t upgrade the 11 if no one was using it.

Yep, and my other kid's 12 Pro Max will likely get iOS 28 as well. That means the 12 Pro Max which was released in 2020 will likely get the most current iOS version until 2028, for a total of 8 years of the most up-to-date iOS support. And then it will get another couple of years of security updates too, bringing it to a decade of iOS support. However, in 2027 I will replace my wife's iPhone 14 Pro Max with a 19 Pro Max, and pass down the 14 Pro Max to replace the kid's 12 Pro Max. The 14 Pro Max has a battery health of 82%, so we will replace that battery soon so that it should be good for several more years.

With 6 GB RAM, the 12 Pro Max still has decent overall performance. It does lag a bit here and there, but I could still use it as my main driver if necessary. The main reason I upgraded from it to the 17 Pro last year was not because of the overall performance but because I wanted the new 4/8X telephoto on the 17 Pro.

Given the fact that iOS is kept up-to-date for such a long time and the performance remains very decent on older iPhones these days, having an 8-9 year usage cycle of iPhones is reasonable, even in more wealthy countries like Canada and the US, especially when half of those years of usage is for devices passed down to kids or relatives. And even if they are sold, that means someone else will be using it for a while.

 

[winxmac]

In 2027 I will replace my wife's iPhone 14 Pro Max with a 19 Pro Max

There will never be an iPhone 19 series or family.

As a current owner of iPhone 11 Pro Max, I still believe that flat sides belong to 5" screen or smaller while rounded edges is for anything larger.

Not everyone buys the latest and greatest so there are those like me that purchase the earlier models since it is within the budget constraints and still getting software updates even if not all the latest features are available. Apps still support iOS 18.x so I will only upgrade once I go with a newer iPhone model.

 

[EugW]

There will never be an iPhone 19 series or family.

?

 

[zarmanto]

There will never be an iPhone 19 series or family. ...

I see where you're coming from, and while they skipped the "9" label in favor of releasing the "10" alongside the "8", and the Anniversary edition is almost guaranteed to be the "20" next year... that doesn't necessarily mean that history is guaranteed to repeat itself perfectly, especially with the 18 pro series coming out this year instead of next year.

 

[onenorth]

well, well ....

"Why Companies Keep Flaws Secret
Forensic firms like Magnet Forensics operate under a strict commercial zero-day model. They intentionally do not disclose vulnerabilities to vendors like Apple for two reasons: [1]

• Product Utility: Their entire business model relies on selling hardware boxes (like GrayKey) to law enforcement and intelligence agencies to extract evidence from locked iPhones. If they disclose a vulnerability to Apple, Apple may find architectural or software mitigation techniques that render the forensic tools obsolete. [1]
• Competitive Edge: Keeping unpatchable SecureROM capabilities secret ensures that rival forensics firms cannot copy the technique and implement it into competing law enforcement tools. [1, 2]"

I am glad you posted this, although no one else is talking about it here. I read the complaint and indeed Magnet Forensics says itself that this discovery was a trade secret.

Magnet Forensics, LLC holds and maintains the trade secret information at issue, including the A12/A13 SecureROM access capability, and has suffered direct harm from Defendants’ misconduct.

The A12/A13 SecureROM access capability is integrated into and underlies critical functionality within Magnet Forensics’ commercial products, including its mobile access tools. Defendants’ unauthorized disclosure of the capability has alerted Apple to the vulnerability, which will cause Apple to seek to develop and deploy a mitigation or patch. If and when Apple mitigates the vulnerability, the data access capabilities within Magnet Forensics’ products will be materially impaired or rendered inoperative, causing direct and potentially irreversible harm to the efficacy of these products.

 

[ChrisA]

Nah. A lot of people go into debt buying gadgets to try to get the latest color of iPhone to appear successful. Apple has become such a fashion accessory.

Never finance a phone.

I've seen that too. It is a very poor fashion accessory because no one will know; all others see is the plastic case the phone is in.

It has always been like that. Poor people think a sign of success is owning trinkets.

But still my point. 95% of the humans on Earth live outside the US, and most of them in places where "a phone is a phone" as long as it works. And I'd bet a buck that the majority of humans on Earth don't even know what the current iPhone model number is

 

[danpass]

I am glad you posted this, although no one else is talking about it here. I read the complaint and indeed Magnet Forensics says itself that this discovery was a trade secret.

What a strange world that company must live in to think they could keep an external manufacturer's flaw a secret unto themselves.

Tesla, Apple, so many of these companies pay people to find flaws for the express purpose of patching them and designing improvements for subsequent models, both hardware and software.

-

 

[EugW]

I see where you're coming from, and while they skipped the "9" label in favor of releasing the "10" alongside the "8", and the Anniversary edition is almost guaranteed to be the "20" next year... that doesn't necessarily mean that history is guaranteed to repeat itself perfectly, especially with the 18 pro series coming out this year instead of next year.

Ah I see now what @winxmac was getting at.

If it gets called the iPhone 20th anniversary edition, that's fine, but I'm not convinced they're going to change the name for that. Maybe they will and maybe they won't but either way that's besides the point. I'll be replacing my wife's 14 Pro Max with a comparable iPhone from 2027. That's after 5 years, but the phone will still be in active use in our family, unless it gets lost or breaks in the interim.

I've seen that too. It is a very poor fashion accessory because no one will know; all others see is the plastic case the phone is in.

It has always been like that. Poor people think a sign of success is owning trinkets.

But still my point. 95% of the humans on Earth live outside the US, and most of them in places where "a phone is a phone" as long as it works. And I'd bet a buck that the majority of humans on Earth don't even know what the current iPhone model number is

That's not actually quite true. For example, in Korea where Samsung alone is responsible for 15-20% of its country's entire GDP, Apple's iPhone now has approximately 2/3rds of the young adult market (< age 30). Even in China, the land of a bazillion different Android phones and which has a per capita GDP of less than half of Korea's, Apple has about 15-20% market share.

I remember visiting China several years ago and noticing that store clerks and other young people with similar low paying jobs had iPhones. Many of those were several year old iPhones that were probably purchased used, but they were still iPhones and often running the latest iOS version.

Part of it is stupid shallow materialism, but part of it because they prefer the Apple ecosystem. The latter reason is why my entire family is on iPhones. It's just more seamless and pleasant for us to be on an all-iOS/iPadOS/macOS ecosystem.

 

[Dr McKay]

That actually surprises me. Maybe I live in a priviledged part of the world (Canada), but I don't think I see any iPhones that old anymore.

I just think it is a sad world when people feel entitled wnough to actually complain over an issue, that was not an issue when the device was launched over 6 years ago. And if yuo are still using an iPhone 11, perhaps it's time to upgrade...

Your circles you interact with are almost certainly privileged in that regard. My work regularly has me interact with the more deprived parts of the community and I regularly see phones that old in use. Meanwhile my friends and colleagues are mostly the kind to upgrade every 1-2 years.

iPhone 11 series is still currently supported by Apple and will be getting iOS 27.

I’m going to give you the benefit of the doubt and chalk up your attitude to a lack of life experience, but I strongly suggest you expand your horizons if you are at this level of disbelief that your privileged slice of life represents everyone’s lived experience.