Corellium says individuals can now virtualize iOS, not just companies

Virtualization software maker Corellium says individual accounts can now also take advantage of its iOS virtualization services, with prices starting at $99 per month for two CPU cores.

Virtualizing iOS in the cloud

Before today, only enterprise accounts could virtualize iOS and Android devices via Corellium’s CORSEC research platform in the cloud. In a blog post today, the company announced support for iOS virtualization for individual cloud accounts:

One of the questions we faced in introducing iOS-based device models to individual accounts was how to keep pricing straightforward. While our virtual Android devices use two CPU cores by default, iOS devices can require up to six CPU cores, depending on the model. As a result, we could no longer offer a single price per virtual device.

The solution? Individual subscriptions with the per-core pricing structure.

As a result, customers will now see prices listed per core rather than per device. Pricing starts at $99 per month for two CPU cores, depending on the device. If you want to virtualize a new iPhone that has 6 CPU cores, doing so will set you back $295 per month.

A new pricing structure

Corellium explains:

With our monthly subscription model, you are allotted a certain number of CPU cores, and you can run as many virtual devices as that number of CPUs will permit at a time. For instance, if you have a 12-core account, you can spin up two virtual Phone 11’s for your first test run, then you could turn those off for storage and create six iPhone 7’s for the next test. For every two active CPU cores allotted to your account, you can store up to five devices in an Off state.

Corellium’s built measures to limit the use of its software for malicious purposes by subjecting new account requests to an internal vetting process. “Both individuals and enterprises will be required to provide a use case, and users will be asked to enter credit card information prior to accessing the free trial to assist in location and identity verification,” it explained.

A statement from Corellium

The virtualization software company has made it clear in a statement to 9to5Mac that it’s making the iOS virtualization tools available to individual clients because it believes “individual researchers play a crucial role in this community.” In addition, Corellium reiterated that “users will still have to request an account, and requests go through an internal vetting process as part of our efforts to prevent the platform from being used for malicious purposes.”

A fight with Apple

Corellium says its ARM-based virtualization solution makes iPhones safer because it makes it easier for security researchers to find iOS bugs. Apple sued Corellium in August of 2019, citing copyright infringement. The iPhone maker said Corellium’s product is illegal because it helps researchers sell hacking tools. These tools, based on iOS exploits, are sold to government agencies that then use them to hack targets, Apple’s lawsuit alleged.

But Corellium fired back, claiming that Apple’s code is “fair use”. As a result, the company argued, its iOS virtualization software should not be pinged for any copyright infringement. A federal judge has recently ruled in Corellium’s favor, saying it had established fair use to use the iOS code. As a result, Corellium is now free to virtualize iOS without Apple hardware.