MANILA, Philippines – Part of the source code for the iPhone's operating system was posted online and eventually taken down via a Digital Milennium Copyright Act (DMCA) request.
Motherboard reports that the code, called "iBoot," was posted on the GitHub code repository anonymously.
The iBoot code is said to be part of the iPhone operating system that ensures the proper startup of iOS when you turn on the iPhone.
While the code says it’s for iOS 9, an older version of iOS, it is possible parts of it remain in the current iteration of the Apple mobile operating system, iOS 11.
Apple takes special care of the iBoot code to ensure it's not seen by prying eyes, and the "leak," such that it is could be valuable in the right hands.
Bugs found in the boot process have an up to $200,000 value on Apple's bug bounty program. The release of legitimate source code can greatly increase the chances of a payday for intrepid security researchers.
The DMCA legally requires Apple to state if the source code is authentic, and to that end, Apple said in its takedown request, "The 'iBoot' source code is proprietary and it includes Apple's copyright notice. It is not open-source."
This lends credence to the possibility that the source code being of value for researchers who want to plumb the code for secrets and help other researchers reverse engineer Apple's mobile operating system for jailbreaking purposes. – Rappler.com