Most Broque Ramdisk variants rely on the Checkm8 bootrom exploit (released by axi0mX in 2019). Checkm8 affects all A5 through A11 chips (iPhone 4s to iPhone X). It is a permanent, unpatchable exploit because it resides in read-only ROM.
Apple actively fights these tools: every iOS update patches ramdisk injection vectors, strengthens SEP isolation, and introduces hardware features like Pointer Authentication Codes (PAC) and SEP ROM patches in newer chips. | Tool | Method | Chip Support | Ease of Use | Data Extraction | |------|--------|--------------|-------------|------------------| | Broque Ramdisk | Checkm8 + custom ramdisk | A5–A11 | Medium (GUI/script) | Full FS, limited keychain | | Miner (MFC) | Similar ramdisk approach | A5–A11 | Low (command line) | Full FS | | Cellebrite UFED | Proprietary exploits + hardware | All (paid updates) | High (professional) | Full extraction, keychain, deleted data | | GrayKey | SEP brute-force + ramdisk | A5–A14 | High (appliance) | Full, including passcode crack | | iMyFone LockWiper | Claimed ramdisk | Mostly A5–A11 | High (GUI) | Usually bypass only, not extraction | broque ramdisk
The user puts the iPhone/iPad into DFU mode (power + home/volume buttons sequence). This is a low-level state where the device expects a firmware image via USB. Most Broque Ramdisk variants rely on the Checkm8
The tool sends a custom Darwin-based ramdisk image (often derived from iOS itself or a lightweight XNU kernel) to the device. This image contains tools like afc (Apple File Conduit), usbmuxd , and ssh servers. Apple actively fights these tools: every iOS update