After the developers of jailbreak projects publish new versions of their applications, it sometimes takes a long time before the releases are published in our catalog. Also, sometimes we completely ignore some releases. Why?
Regular applications contain compiled program code (as well as many other resources) and work within the API (application programming interface) provided by the operating system vendor and do not try to violate the application interface framework. The operating system vendor provides a very rich API that meets the needs of most applications. Therefore the use of a regular application can rarely lead to problems with the device, especially with modern devices and versions of operating systems. The worst thing that can happen to an application is that it simply won't work. Nothing threatens other applications on the device, user data, and the device itself.
However, jailbreaking applications are a completely different matter. The main function of any jailbreak is to hack the operating system API.
They do this using various exploits - special blocks of code that cause bugs and errors in the operating system's operation. A properly applied exploit allows you to temporarily remove or weaken the operating system's built-in protection mechanisms and force it to execute third-party program code. This code completely removes the operating system's protection and allows special software managers (Cydia, Sileo, etc.) to install any third-party software. The operating system treats applications installed through software managers as service applications, and general API restrictions no longer apply to them.
Of course, all this is very interesting, but where is the main danger for the device?
The main danger is hidden in the exploits. Exploits contain aggressive program code written by hackers and security researchers to use various bugs in the operating system's security algorithms. For example, it could be an unpatched zero-day vulnerability in the 4G module driver, stack overflow error in the touchscreen software or any of the thousands of vulnerabilities that can be exploited to run third-party code. More precisely, for each device for each combination of "software+hardware," a complex combination of exploits used for hacking is possible. Many exploits are quickly patched with security updates, while many others work only with certain chips or chip combinations. And for each of these special cases, there may be a separate exploit (but it happens that one vulnerability is used on many different devices at once).
Every exploit is an attack tool. Every jailbreak is a set of exploits packaged into a common graphical application shell. The exploits included in the jailbreak can include well-written programs, as well as those containing poorly portable and poorly tested code. That is why the use of jailbreak always remains the responsibility of the user. The same jailbreak on some devices can happen without problems, while other devices can partially or completely kill. We can talk about the safety of a jailbreak only when most of its users do not have fatal problems when using it.
For this reason, we always wait for some time after a new release of any of the jailbreaks surfaces. We test it on our own devices, analyze thematic Reddits and issues reported on Github, collect information about user experience. And only when we can conditionally call a new release safe, we publish it in our application catalog.
However, even if we consider the new jailbreak release conditionally safe, this does not negate the user's responsibility for their device's life! When using a jailbreak, you should always check the compatibility of the application with your device.
You carry out any actions with your device at your own peril.