Cybersecurity Specialist Creates Original iPad and iPhone Jailbreak Cables and Plans to Sell Them

According to MacRumors, security researchers have developed a Lightning cable that can be used to steal passwords and other data from iPhones and iPads.

Outwardly, the novelty looks identical to the original cable supplied with the iPhone, but at the same time it is able to send data to a hacker.

The device, which was named OMG Cable works just like a regular cable to charge and sync your iPhone to your computer. However, in addition to this, it can register keystrokes on connected keyboards, which will be more useful for jailbreaking iPads than iPhones. The resulting data is then sent to the attacker, who may be at a fairly decent distance. The cable creates a Wi-Fi hotspot that a hacker can connect to and, using a simple web application, record keystrokes.

The cable also includes a geolocation function. Other features include the ability to change keyboard layouts and spoof USB credentials.

All the functionality of the cable is made possible by a tiny chip that is not much larger than the original cables. This makes it extremely difficult to identify a hacking device.

Cables made as part of a mobile hacking study by a security researcher known as MG are now in mass production and will be sold on the cybersecurity site Hak5. The devices are available in a variety of configurations including Lightning-USB-C, USB-C-USB-C, and more. Cracking cables are virtually indistinguishable from conventional cables, making them a serious data security threat.