Update recommended: Apple warns of security vulnerabilities

Apple has warned of a serious security vulnerability in its iPhones, iPads and Macs. Accordingly, hackers could gain full control over the devices. Security experts recommend an immediate update.

Apple has warned of serious security vulnerabilities in iPhones, iPads and Macs that could potentially allow hackers to take total control of the devices. The security gaps could be closed by a software update.

Apple’s warning about the vulnerability means a hacker could get “full admin access to the device,” allowing them to “run any code as if it were you, the user,” Rachel Tobac said. Head of the security company SocialProof Security. One also knows about a “report that this problem could have been actively exploited,” said the US group.

WebKit software and partly operating system affected

One of the vulnerabilities was in Apple’s WebKit software, which is used to display content in web browsers. As a result, mobile devices such as iPhones and iPads are particularly at risk, since browsers here run exclusively via WebKit. The second vulnerability was in the so-called kernel, the central part of the operating system.

Users should install updates

Security researchers advised users to apply a software update to affected devices: the iPhones 6s and later models, several iPad models including those 5th generation and later, all iPad Pro models and the iPad Air 2, and Mac computers with macOS Monterey. Some iPod models are also affected, it said. The current operating system versions are iOS 15.6.1 for the iPhone and iPadOS 15.6.1 for the tablets and macOS Monterey 12.5.1 for Apple’s computers.

A software update should primarily be carried out by those who are in the public eye, such as activists and journalists who could be the target of state surveillance.