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Sep 1, 2019; Los Angeles, CA, USA; Detailed view of the basketball sneakers worn by Triplets guard Jamario Moon (8) during the BIG3 championship game at Staples Center. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Jailbreaks seemed to be a thing of the past, but last month, a security research released the first free, public iPhone jailbreak in years. Now, another security researcher has discovered an exploit that could make it possible to permanently jailbreak any iPhone from the 2011 4S to the 2017 iPhone X and 8/Plus.

Twitter user axi0mX revealed the bootrom exploit, dubbed checkm8, that makes it possible to jailbreak the devices. As The Verge explains, bootrom exploits take advantage of a vulnerability in the initial code that iOS devices load when they boot up. Because it's read-only memory (ROM), Apple can't overwrite or patch it through a software update. In other words, it's permanent.

A customer takes a photograph with an iPhone 11 Pro at Apple store during a product launch event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday, September 27, 2019. Apple's new iPhones with camera enhancements and improved battery life go on sale today. (Photo by Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
A customer takes a photograph with an iPhone 11 Pro at Apple store during a product launch event in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on Friday, September 27, 2019. Apple's new iPhones with camera enhancements and improved battery life go on sale today. (Photo by Chris Jung/NurPhoto via Getty Images)