Federal Agency Urges Americans to Update iPhones and MacBooks Following Security Enhancements
Apple has released several security updates this week.
This week, Apple issued a series of security updates for iPhones, MacBooks, and various devices running iOS or MacOS, prompting a federal agency to recommend that users install them promptly.
Among the more critical issues identified in the update was a flaw that could permit a “remote attacker” to induce “unexpected app termination or arbitrary code execution,” as reported by Apple.
Additionally, Apple provided security patches for various kernel bugs that could allow attackers to exploit memory mappings to disclose sensitive kernel state information.
Regarding the MacOS updates, Apple also implemented security enhancements for the IOMobileFrameBuffer, which could permit arbitrary code execution, according to the release notes.
Related Stories
Apple has consistently stated that it will not disclose specific details about its security fixes, reaffirming this policy once more.
There is currently no information indicating whether any of the security vulnerabilities have been actively exploited.
The recent set of updates from Apple prompted the U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Agency (CISA) to recommend that users and administrators check Apple’s “advisories and apply necessary updates” on December 12.
“Apple released security updates to address vulnerabilities across multiple Apple products. A cyber threat actor could exploit some of these vulnerabilities to gain control of an affected system,” CISA stated.
“Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited on Intel-based Macs,” the company noted at that time.
“Our advice, which we have communicated internally, is not new: Encryption is your ally, whether in text messaging or when you can use encrypted voice communication. Even if an adversary intercepts the data, if it is encrypted, it will render access impossible,” stated a top CISA official, Jeff Greene, during a call with reporters in December.
How to Update
For iPhone or iPad users who do not have automatic updates enabled, open the “Settings” app, select “General Software Update” to check for updates, and tap “Download and Install” if available. To schedule the update for overnight, choose “Update Tonight” and follow any prompts.
MacOS users should open the “Apple” menu, select “System Settings,” then click “General” in the sidebar, and choose “Software Update” on the right if an update is available.
Reuters contributed to this report.
