Certified iOS Security RESEARCHER (CISR)

This achievement reflects your in-depth understanding of essential iOS internals and offensive security techniques, including the ARM64 architecture, iOS kernel structure and its security mitigations, reverse engineering of both app and system binaries, memory management in userland and kernel space, and sandboxing and code-signing mechanisms.

You’ve also demonstrated your ability to dissect jailbreaks, reverse engineer proprietary security mitigations, analyze and exploit IPC mechanisms like mach_msg2 and XPC, and apply knowledge to real-world kernel bugs and mitigation bypasses—all of which culminate in earning the Certified iOS Security Researcher (CISR) designation.

This certification is ideal for experienced security researchers, iOS developers, malware analysts, and professionals passionate about mastering the intricacies of Apple’s security model at a low level.

Benefits include:

1. Advanced Proficiency: This certification validates your deep technical expertise in offensive iOS security, particularly in kernel internals, system-level exploit development, and reverse engineering.
2. Credibility: Gain a recognized credential that underscores your ability to navigate and analyze iOS at the internals level, reinforcing your professional standing in security communities.
3. Career Growth: Unlock roles focused on mobile OS internals, vulnerability research, jailbreak development, or red teaming focused on iOS ecosystems.
4. Increased Earning Potential: As a specialist in iOS internals and kernel-level exploitation, your niche skills often command higher compensation in both consulting and full-time roles.
5. Industry Recognition: CISR certification signals your dedication to mastering iOS security internals, garnering respect from peers, employers, and the wider security industry.
6. Tactical Risk Reduction: With your newfound expertise, you can identify and exploit vulnerabilities in iOS, helping organizations proactively defend against advanced mobile threats.
7. Cutting-Edge Knowledge: The course arms you with the latest offensive techniques and tools used in modern iOS exploitation, keeping you at the forefront of mobile security research.
8. Real-World Problem Solving: By studying real-world bugs and bypasses, you sharpen your ability to identify and exploit security flaws that many others miss.

The certification exam spans a rigorous 24-hour period, designed to thoroughly assess your proficiency across the following key domains:

1. ARM64 Architecture Mastery: Demonstrate a strong grasp of the ARM64 instruction set and its role in understanding iOS internals and exploit development.
2. iOS Kernel & Security Mitigations: Analyze the structure of the iOS kernel, evaluate its built-in security mechanisms, and understand how they can be bypassed or exploited.
3. Reverse Engineering iOS Binaries: Dissect both user-facing apps and system binaries to uncover hidden behaviors, vulnerabilities, and logic flaws.
4. Bug Classifications: Identify and explain various categories of vulnerabilities common in iOS, including those affecting kernel space and userland.
5. Memory Management: Understand the allocation and usage of memory within both userland and kernel contexts, and its impact on security and exploitation.
6. Sandboxing & Code Signing: Demonstrate expertise in iOS’s sandboxing model and code-signing enforcement, including methods to work around these restrictions.
7. Jailbreak Analysis: Analyze how modern jailbreaks work, understand the mechanisms behind them, and leverage this knowledge in offensive research.
8. Proprietary Mitigation Reversing: Reverse engineer and assess Apple’s proprietary security features, understanding how they protect the system—and how to bypass them.
9. IPC Exploitation: Evaluate and exploit inter-process communication mechanisms like mach_msg2, XPC, and others used throughout the iOS platform.
10. Real-World Exploit Development: Apply learned skills to analyze and reproduce real-world vulnerabilities, including kernel-level bugs and bypasses of hardened security features.

As an aspiring candidate, you’re invited to undertake the Certified iOS Security Researcher (CISR) challenge. While the exam is open to all, those best prepared to succeed typically have a deep understanding of iOS internals, including ARM64 architecture, kernel security mitigations, jailbreak mechanisms, and advanced reverse engineering of both applications and system binaries.

Prerequisites encompass familiarity with iOS app architecture, security mechanisms, and components, experience in mobile vulnerability assessments, expertise in manual exploitation, sandbox restrictions bypass, XPC interception, and expertise in iOS reverse engineering and algorithmic analysis.

The CISR Exam is the industry benchmark, assessing your practical acumen in real-world scenarios. This hands-on evaluation reflects your adeptness in navigating iOS security challenges. Genuine scenarios, ranging across five difficulty levels, will task you with activities spanning reverse engineering, pivoting, and exploiting iOS applications, libraries, and platform elements, all with the objective of acquiring the FLAG! Hone your analytical abilities for effective penetration testing and analysis.

Your ultimate deliverable is an exhaustive report, including fully functional proof-of-concept iOS binaries and daemons. This report undergoes scrutiny from a skilled panel of industry experts, reinforcing your mastery in the iOS security landscape. Seize the challenge of the CISR Certification Exam and elevate your professional journey, where expertise meets recognition.

Successful candidates will be awarded the 8kSec Certified iOS Security Researcher certification upon triumphing in the exam. This credential underscores their proficiency in iOS security and reverse engineering. It stands as a testament to their competencies in reverse engineering and securing iOS applications along with additional focus on platform internals.