David Wang (hacker) explained

David Wang (also known as planetbeing) is a mobile phone hacker.

In 2007, as part of the early iOS jailbreaking community, he developed instructions for how to jailbreak an iPhone while using Windows, along with contributing to the initial version of JailbreakMe.^[1] In 2010, Wang modified iPhone software to enable using the Android operating system on the phone.^[2] He worked on iOS jailbreaks as part of the iPhone Dev Team^[3] and the Evad3rs team,^[4] and he won a Pwnie Award for his jailbreaking work with the Evad3rs.^[5] Their work included Evasi0n.^[6] He also wrote an open source tool, xpwn, that was cited in books about iPhone hacking.^{[7] [8]}

While working for Azimuth Security, Wang worked on a project for the FBI where he helped unlock an iPhone that belonged to an attacker who was part of the 2015 San Bernardino attack. That situation was part of the Apple–FBI encryption dispute.

In 2019, Wang and collaborators gave a talk at the Black Hat conference with technical details about the iPhone's Secure Enclave Processor.^[9]

Wang cofounded Corellium, a company that provides virtualization services for companies to test phone software.^[10] Corellium offered or sold the product to at least some companies that make spyware.^[11] While at Corellium, Wang worked on an experimental tool to run Android on iPhones in 2020.^[12] Apple sued Corellium in 2019, including accusations that the company sold the product to governments that wanted to use it to find ways to break into iPhones,^[13] but the companies settled in 2023.^[14]

Wang also cofounded Quantum Metric, a data analytics company.^[15]

Notes and References

1. Book: Merchant, Brian . The One Device: The Secret History of the iPhone . 2017-06-20 . Little, Brown . 978-0-316-54611-9 . en.
2. Web site: Dybwad . Barb . Hacker Runs Android OS on an iPhone [VIDEO] . Mashable . 2010-04-22 . 2021-11-25.
3. Web site: Franceschi-Bicchierai . Lorenzo . Merchant . Brian . 2017-06-28 . The Life, Death, and Legacy of iPhone Jailbreaking . 2024-07-31 . Vice . en.
4. Web site: 2017-03-08 . Planet Money Episode 596: Hacking The iPhone For Fun, Profit, And Maybe Espionage . 2024-07-31 . NPR.
5. News: Nakashima . Ellen . Albergotti . Reed . 2021-04-14 . The FBI wanted to unlock the San Bernardino shooter’s iPhone. It turned to a little-known Australian firm. . 2024-07-31 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.
6. Web site: Greenberg . Andy . 2014-07-15 . Inside Evasi0n, The Most Elaborate Jailbreak To Ever Hack Your iPhone . 2024-07-31 . Forbes . en.
7. Book: Miller, Charlie . iOS Hacker's Handbook . Blazakis . Dion . DaiZovi . Dino . Esser . Stefan . Iozzo . Vincenzo . Weinmann . Ralf-Philip . 2012-04-30 . John Wiley & Sons . 978-1-118-24075-5 . 343 . en.
8. Book: Zdziarski, Jonathan . IPhone Forensics: Recovering Evidence, Personal Data, and Corporate Assets . 2008-09-12 . "O'Reilly Media, Inc." . 978-0-596-15537-7 . 34 . en.
9. Web site: Franceschi-Bicchierai . Lorenzo . 2019-03-06 . The Prototype iPhones That Hackers Use to Research Apple’s Most Sensitive Code . 2024-08-01 . Vice . en.
10. Web site: Brewster . Thomas . 2018-02-15 . This Super Stealth Startup Has Built An Apple Hacker's Paradise . 2024-08-01 . Forbes . en.
11. News: Franceschi-Bicchierai . Lorenzo . 2022-11-21 . A Leak Details Apple's Secret Dirt on a Trusted Security Startup . 2024-08-09 . Wired . en-US . 1059-1028.
12. Web site: Bode . Karl . 2020-03-05 . This Company Made a Version of Android That Runs on the iPhone . 2024-07-31 . Vice . en.
13. News: Albergotti . Reed . 2021-08-11 . Apple drops intellectual property lawsuit against maker of security tools . 2024-08-09 . Washington Post . en-US . 0190-8286.
14. Web site: Brewster . Thomas . 2023-12-14 . Apple And Cyber Startup Corellium Settle Four-Year Court Battle . 2024-08-09 . Forbes . en.
15. Web site: Heilman . Wayne . 2021-02-07 . CEO of Colorado Springs' first $1 billion technology 'unicorn' vows to keep his successful venture local . 2024-07-31 . Colorado Springs Gazette . en.