Apple has announced the release of security updates for its devices, among which are the iPhone, iPad, and Mac.
The tech giant stated that a set of updates for smartphones, tablets, and laptops of its production are necessary to eliminate two vulnerabilities. The company claims that due to these problems, criminals can hack users of the specified devices. Vulnerabilities have been discovered in the security system.
The tech giant has released software updates, iOS and iPadOS 17.1.2, and macOS 14.1.2. A set of improvements was developed by the company’s specialists after security researchers from the Google threat analysis group investigating cyber attacks discovered the mentioned vulnerabilities.
The company said the updates fix two bugs in WebKit, the browser engine that supports Safari and other apps. Hackers, using these vulnerabilities for their criminal interests, could remotely inject malicious code onto users’ devices over the Internet. In this case, the main danger is related to spyware. The error was called Zero-Day because the vendor did not have time to fix the vulnerability before it began to be actively used.
Apple’s security recommendations, referring to the iPhone software released on October 11, indicate that the company is aware of a report of detection of the problem that possibly applied in iOS before iOS 16.7.1.
The tech giant has also developed updates for its Safari 17.1.2 browser, which are designed for users running older versions of macOS Monterey and macOS Ventura. The relevant information is contained in the official message of the company.
Currently, there is no information about who is using the discovered vulnerabilities. Google has so far been unable to establish the involvement of specific criminals or certain government organizations acting for political purposes in this process. The Internet search giant and the iPhone manufacturer did not provide detailed information about these problems. It is possible that over time, the persons involved in the use of vulnerabilities will be identified.
This week, Google fixed a Zero-Day vulnerability in its Chrome browser. The company stated that the exploit exists in the wild. Google security researcher Maddie Stone posted on the social network X, formerly known as Twitter, a message saying that the browser bug had been fixed within four days. It took Apple about a week to fix the vulnerability.
In October, owners of the new iPhone 15 began to complain en masse about problems in the functioning of devices of this model. The tech giant has admitted that the new-generation smartphone has flaws that manifest themselves during its use. Representatives of the company said that the failures of the iPhone 15 are due to a combination of negative factors, including errors in the operating system, bugs in apps, and temporary set-up of configuration. Smartphones of the new model were also heated to temperatures exceeding the permissible norm. Updates have become a solution to these problems, which have not affected literally every iPhone 15 owner.