If you’re an Apple fan, you certainly didn’t miss the launch of the Vision Pro headset a few days ago. Like the iPhone, iPad, Apple TV or Apple Watch, the space computer has not been spared by the jailbreak community. Indeed, a doctor from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) has already made an exploit allowing access to the system kernel.
An exploit before a jailbreak?
Joseph Ravichandran, alias @0xjprx sur X, a PhD student in microarchitectural security at MIT, has shared what appears to be the first proof-of-concept kernel exploit for visionOS – the operating system that powers the Vision Pro.
The world’s first(?) kernel exploit for Vision Pro- on launch day! pic.twitter.com/9rVtaSmbei
— Joseph Ravichandran (@0xjprx) February 3, 2024
Dr. Ravichandran has posted images of a visionOS app he created with a single button labeled “Crash My Vision Pro“. When you click on this button with a “skull” emoji, the Vision Pro shuts down. When it restarts, it does so in “full pass-through” mode with a message telling the user that the Vision Pro needs to restart and that it will turn off after 30 seconds.
Additionally, Ravichandran shows what appears to be the kernel panic logs related to their kernel exploit. This is likely the first exploit on visionOS 1.0, and a first step towards a jailbreak.
Kernel exploits are a core part of jailbreaks that allow users to perform actions on a device outside of the company’s defined parameters like installing apps from outside the App Store, changing the appearance of any part, and more.
We suspect that Ravichandran will not offer a jailbreak, but it could give ideas to the community. The fact remains that Apple has had to put more than one additional security on its headset, while the jailbreak of the iPhone has become more and more difficult since iOS 15.
Despite this, hackers continue to find ways to bypass XTRRs, PPLs, PACs and all sorts of measures that have been put in place.
For you, what would be the interest of a visionOS jailbreak?