I'm requesting that you upgrade your Apple devices once more
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| Apple |
We're back at it once more: I'm writing this post to urge you to upgrade your iPhone, iPad, or Mac as soon as possible since the most recent versions of their software cure several truly terrible flaws. The solutions for the WebKit and kernel flaws that could allow attackers to launch harmful code on your device are detailed in the security notes for iOS/iPadOS 15.6.1 and macOS 12.5.1. The annotations also mention the possibility of intentional exploitation of the bugs.
Unfortunately, this is about the third or fourth time I've written an article specifically requesting that readers upgrade their Macs or iPhones to fix some really critical security problems. Since iOS 15's initial release, there have been 13 updates, nine of which have fixed various arbitrary code execution bugs. In fact, I could have written this exact post even more times than that. Some of such issues frequently give attackers access to kernel privileges.
The "Apple is aware of a report that this problem may have been actively exploited" warning was also present in five of those security upgrades.
I'm going to reiterate how to upgrade your phone even though you've probably done it a lot this year (and, to be honest, the years before that): To update the software, navigate to Settings > General. Go to System Preferences > Software Update on the Mac.
It's not always terrible to have ongoing security updates. Sure, they might be a sign that many defects are getting into software, but they could also indicate that a business has become very adept at identifying problems and fixing them. I'm not mentioning Apple's recent track record to put it in the wrong; rather, I'm doing it to emphasize the importance of upgrades in today's world and the urgency with which they should be applied.
Yes, updating your computer or phone all the time is incredibly unpleasant. Nobody wants their devices to be rendered useless while an update is being installed. Apple, though, is developing a method to make significant security updates simpler and more automatic.
"Rapid Security Response," a feature that appears to let Apple deploy security upgrades to your device without requiring a restart, will be a part of iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura. Although some updates will probably still need to be rebooted (it's difficult to fix a kernel bug while the OS is running), the functionality could ease the strain of keeping your device secure to some extent.
Additionally, the business is adding Lockdown Mode, an "extreme" security setting that few users will actually want to activate. According to Apple, Lockdown Mode is primarily intended for users who believe they may be the target of skilled hackers, such as those employed by governments, and will disable a number of features that are particularly prone to security issues. If it applies to you, the function ought to be accessible after the release of macOS Ventura and iOS 16. (Plus, you sound incredible; wow.) (Or truly terrifying.)
The rest of us, though, can simply remember to keep updating our gadgets whenever fresh security patches are released – regardless of how inconvenient that is or how frequently it occurs.
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