iOS15.6.1
Two critical gaps: That’s why you should update your iPhone and iPad immediately
iPhone and Co. should always be up to date for security reasons (symbol image)
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Apple’s next major operating systems will appear in just a few weeks. The fact that a mini-update for iPhone, iPad and Macs will now surprisingly appear beforehand should alarm all users.
In September the time has come: With iOS 16, iPadOS 16 and new systems for Mac and Apple Watch, Apple is bringing its annual major update for its devices. There was already a preview at the WWDC in-house exhibition (find out more here), the test versions are already installed on millions of devices. Now suddenly a quick interim update was pushed in. The timing shows it’s serious.
With iOS 15.6.1, iPadOS 15.6.1 and macOS Monterey 12.5.1, Apple last night provided its systems for iPhone, iPad and Mac computers with an emergency patch. And strongly recommends installing them as soon as possible. The reason for the urgency: There are two dangerous security gaps in the systems which, according to Apple, are already being used specifically for attacks.
critical gaps
The two gaps are the same on all three systems. They are in the kernel, the heart of the operating system, and in Webkit, the substructure for Apple’s Safari browser. That makes them extremely dangerous. Webkit is the basis for all Internet content on the iPhone and iPad, including in third-party apps. Alternatives are also allowed on the Mac, for example in Google Chrome or Firefox, these are not affected by the Webkit error.
According to Apple, attacks have already been actively carried out on both errors. The bug allows attackers to secretly inject code into the kernel and execute it beyond security measures. The browser error, in turn, allows websites to feed in arbitrary program code. A combination of the errors would be an enormous danger, but Apple does not reveal whether this also happened in practice. Nevertheless, the request for a quick installation is understandable.
Here’s how to do it
In order to secure your own devices, you must check in the settings under “General” and “Software update” (iPhone and iPad), or “System settings” and “Software update” (Mac) whether the update is available or has already been installed. If automatic updates are activated, the updates are usually loaded automatically overnight when there is a power connection. If in doubt, you can also initiate the update yourself.
Incidentally, an update that was also released tonight for some Apple Watches is not security-critical. With watchOS 8.7.1, Apple only fixes a bug on the Apple Watch Series 3 that can cause unwanted restarts.
Source: Apple