iPhone Hacking Startup Claims Apple Owes Them $300,000

After Apple sued Corellium back in August for "illegally replicating the iPhone," the startup is now fighting back.

Chris Wade and Amanda Gorton are the husband and wife combo of the iPhone hacking company, and now they're turning the tables with a counterclaim that it is Apple that owes them $300,000.

Essentially, what the duo developed is a software that simulates the iOS or the operating system of Apple's mobile devices and virtualizes it in a browser. Corellium allows multiple capabilities such as testing applications, jailbreak, and other uses that were once accessible to only an iPhone.

But the most critical feature of the virtualization software is that it can help research for bugs and other security vulnerabilities. Once these bugs cause a device to become unusable, testing can continue without having to purchase a new iPhone or iPad since the iOS can be loaded up in the browser in no time.

However, Apple deems this as an infringement. The complaint filed in Florida states:

"The product Corellium offers is a "virtual" version of Apple mobile hardware products, accessible to anyone with a web browser. Specifically, Corellium serves up what it touts as a perfect digital facsimile of a broad range of Apple's market-leading devices—recreating with fastidious attention to detail not just the way the operating system and applications appear visually to bona fide purchasers, but also the underlying computer code. Corellium does so with no license or permission from Apple."

The complaint almost seemed like a joke to the couple considering the relationship they had with the iPhone maker since 2010. The couple's filing even cited a dinner in China that Wade shared with Jason Shirk, Apple's manager for security and privacy programs. According to their counterclaim, Apple also encouraged Corellium to "continue developing its technology."

"During this time, Apple approved of Corellium participating in its invitation-only Security Bounty Program ("bug bounty program") with a promise to pay software bugs identified by Corellium. While Apple gladly accepted and utilized bugs submitted by Corellium as part of this program, it broke its promise to pay for them," as stated in the filing on Monday.

Apple has not yet provided any response.