Restoring hacked iOS to original firmware

[Gleben]

Hi



My iPhone IOS (15.1) has been compromised by clicking links and pictures without realising what is happening. I know that factory rest will only remove installed apps but changes made to the root cant be revered or removed with factory rest.



The only solution I can think off is a complete replacement of the software on the phone with original firmware from Apple.



If I use the links from https://ipsw.me will this serve the purpose and allow me to give my phone a new life and completely override the corrupted firmware.



Thank you

 

[Shirasaki]

Wait, is there a jailbreak released for iOS 15.1 already? (Joking)
For whatever you described, a factory reset is usually enough to restore your iPhone to its original state. Since apple doesn’t offer iOS software direct download, https://ipsw.me seems to be reputable enough to download iOS software from.

 

[Gleben]

No it is not jailbreak, I meant hacked being compromised with root access without my consent.

 

[TiggrToo]

No it is not jailbreak, I meant hacked being compromised with root access without my consent.

How sure are you that this is the case?

Also what device is this? Older phones were more susceptible to being Jailbroken (the act of gaining root access on iOS) than newer devices.

Also, unless you're a head of state (or similar), it's entirely unlikely clicking on some links led you to being attacked as you describe.

 

[Gleben]

How sure are you that this is the case?

Also what device is this? Older phones were more susceptible to being Jailbroken (the act of gaining root access on iOS) than newer devices.

Also, unless you're a head of state (or similar), it's entirely unlikely clicking on some links led you to being attacked as you describe.

It is not an old iPhone, XR Model.

You will be surprised how common it happens and normal users never gets to know about it.

Common examples includes getting an SMS with a link to reset your online access or collect your Amazon delivery or a message on social media platforms, for example, WhatsApp containing a file (video, picture .. etc) or link to an external website.

 

[BugeyeSTI]

Restoring your phone using iTunes/Finder will install a clean version of 15.1

 

[pk0]

What are your symptoms that made you think someone has root access to your phone? Someone can't just gain root access by clicking links. I would say it is more likely that something has happened like you have a rogue App or redirects going on or something.

 

[Samdh90]

Honestly bud, if you are sure that your phone is compromised, it would probably be best to do a DFU restore with either itunes or finder. No need to download the firmware from a 3rd party website. As far as an infection though, like what @pmkoch stated, they usually cannot get into the ROOT area as it is locked down. Most threats also can't survive a restart.

 

[SpecMode]

+1 for DFU restore using Finder or iTunes — one of the main purposes of DFU mode is to essentially restore the device to a clean state by bypassing the normal bootloader and allowing every write-capable firmware and software component to be replaced with known-good versions (DFU is baked into non-writable ROM storage at manufacturing and cannot be modified — it is the last-resort option to get a corrupted or compromised device back into a usable state).

 

[Gleben]

Thanks @Samdh90 and @SpecMode . I will go for the DFU restore.