ARM software virtualization company Corellium has released a “completely usable” version of Ubuntu Linux that runs on M1 Macs. Corellium CTO Chris Wade announced the release early this morning.
Security researchers at the company have developed a port that has been released on GitHub with an installation tutorial is said to be coming later today.
Linux is now completely usable on the Mac mini M1. Booting from USB a full Ubuntu desktop (rpi). Network works via a USB c dongle. Update includes support for USB, I2C, DART. We will push changes to our GitHub and a tutorial later today. Thanks to the @CorelliumHQ team ❤️🙏 pic.twitter.com/uBDbDmvJUG
— Chris Wade (@cmwdotme) January 20, 2021
The company has been able to boot into a full Linux desktop from USB. A USB-C dongle was used to enabling networking capabilities and support for USB, I2C, and DART.
There are limitations, as no support for GPU acceleration is in place, meaning the port relies on software rendering.
Corellium has been working on the Linux port for Apple Silicon-based Macs since earlier this month and has made impressive progress on the project.
In somewhat related news, Corellium and Apple have been embroiled in a legal battle, due to Corellum’s work on iOS emulation software.
Corellium, which was founded in 2017, gave its customers the ability to run “virtual” iPhones on desktop computers. The company’s software removed the need to use physical iPhones that contain specialized software to probe iOS, Apple’s mobile operating system.
Apple in December lost a legal battle against Corellium over copyright infringement covering iOS, iTunes, and other Apple assets. Apple sued the company in 2019, as Corellium software is designed to replicate iOS to allow security researchers to locate bugs and security flaws.
