Corellium vows to expose Apple's bullying and bad faith tactics

Corellium has been in the news lately as the company is fighting a legal battle against Apple. The cybersecurity came under Apple’s radar after it created “virtualized” versions of iOS. The virtual software is used by security researchers pause the operating system and analyze what’s happening at the code level. This could also allow researchers to find vulnerabilities in the system.

Apple, however, didn’t like the idea of a software version of iPhones. The company has sued Corellium for copyright infringement. Apple argued that Corellium has not received permissions from Apple to replicate the OS.

Corellium’s conduct plainly infringes Apple’s copyrights. Corellium has simply copied everything: the code, the graphical user interface, the icons—all of it, in exacting detail… For a million dollars a year, Corellium will even deliver a ‘private’ installation of its product to any buyer. There is no basis for Corellium to be selling a product that allows the creation of avowedly perfect replicas of Apple’s devices to anyone willing to pay.

– Apple

Apple is also going after Santander Bank and L3Harris Technologies to gain information on Corellium. According to Forbes, the company has subpoenaed both Santander Bank and L3Harris Technologies for information on their use of Corellium. Apple has also demanded both the companies to disclose all communications between the companies and Corellium, details on how they use the iPhone-virtualizing technology, all internal communications about the use of the tech, all contracts, and all information they have on the startup’s co-founder Chris Wade.

Kernel debugging and scripting CyCript with @CorelliumHQ virtual iOS. Sweet 🙂 Glad they let us be their 1st customer. This is basically magic pic.twitter.com/MzPa7vMrOC

— mdowd (@mdowd) January 19, 2018

Apple is trying to get information from L3Harris’s subsidiary Azimuth Security on potential vulnerabilities they found in iOS. The company might be planning to patch these before the vulnerabilities could be exploited mainly by intelligence agencies looking to bypass Apple’s encryption.

Corellium’s lawyer, on the other hand, called Apple a bully and said the company plans to fight back on the charges filed by Apple.

Apple has been trying to harm Corellium’s business and reputation since its failed acquisition of Corellium in 2018 and is now issuing subpoenas to Corellium’s client, Harris. Corellium will be moving to quash both subpoenas.

We will continue to expose Apple’s bad faith tactics and, ultimately, prevail against it.

– David Hecht, Corellium’s counsel and partner at Pierce Bainbridge

Apple has alleged that Corellium is harassing its head of software development, Craig Federighi.

On Saturday February 8, 2020, a process server was outside of my home. He came to my front door and attempted to serve a subpoena to me, but my wife turned him away.

– Craig Federighi