iOS 16.1—Update Now Warning Issued To All iPhone Users

Cybersecurity iOS 16. 1—Update Now Warning Issued To All iPhone Users Kate O’Flaherty Senior Contributor Opinions expressed by Forbes Contributors are their own. Straight Talking Cyber Following New! Follow this author to stay notified about their latest stories.

Got it! Oct 25, 2022, 04:00am EDT | New! Click on the conversation bubble to join the conversation Got it! Share to Facebook Share to Twitter Share to Linkedin Apple has issued iOS 16. 1, and it comes with a warning to update now because the iPhone upgrade fixes 20 security issues—one of which is already being used in attacks. Apple doesn’t share much detail about what’s been fixed in iOS 16.

1, to avoid more adversaries getting hold of the information they need to perform attacks. The already-exploited security issue patched in iOS 16. 1 is in the Kernel at the heart of the iPhone operating system.

Tracked as CVE-2022-42827 , the vulnerability could allow an attacker to execute code with Kernel privileges via an app. “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited,” the iPhone maker’s support page reads. Other iPhone flaws fixed in iOS 16.

1 include two more issues in the Kernel, one of which can be exploited remotely. Among the other vulnerabilities patched in iOS 16. 1 are several flaws in WebKit , the engine that powers Apple’s Safari browser.

iOS 16. 1 is the first major point upgrade since iOS 16 and comes two weeks after the latest security update iOS 16. 0.

3 , which fixed one vulnerability. MORE FOR YOU Juan Soto Contract Rejection Could Make Orioles A Better Buy Than Nationals Celebrating 150 Years: Lake Como’s Grandest Grand-Dame New Study Points Out Scary Driver Behavior In Supposedly Safer Cars When Apple launched iOS 16, it also updated iOS 15. 7 with security fixes for those who want to wait to update to the latest and greatest operating system.

At the time of writing, there is no iOS 15. 7. 1 to fix the same flaws patched in iOS 16.

1. What’s known about the iPhone security issue, CVE-2022-42827? I always suggest applying important iPhone updates straight away—and iOS 16. 1 is no exception since CVE-2022-42827 is being used in real-life attacks.

Yes, it’s likely these are targeted at a small number of people—like the Pegasus spyware attacks—but with limited details available, the only way to be sure is to upgrade. Apple hasn’t said which cybercrime group or spyware company is abusing this bug, Paul Ducklin, a researcher at security firm Sophos writes . However, he warns: “Given the high price that working iPhone zero-days command in the cyber-underworld, we assume that whoever is in possession of this exploit [a] knows how to make it work effectively and [b] is unlikely to draw attention to it themselves, in order to keep existing victims in the dark as much as possible.

” The iOS 16. 1 update fixes some high-severity issues that would allow an attacker to gain full access to the device, says independent security researcher Sean Wright. He says an attacker would need to “chain the Kernel level vulnerabilities with some of the other flaws to allow a malicious app to exploit them.

” This could be done remotely via one of the WebKit vulnerabilities, Wright adds. While attacks using the iOS 16. 1 flaws are likely to be targeted at a small subset, some of these vulnerabilities could become more mainstream, Wrights says, adding that you should update “when you can.

” Apple has issued iOS 16. 1 along with a warning to update now, because it fixes an iPhone security . .

. [+] flaw already being used in real-life attacks. Apple iPhone Update to iOS 16.

1 to keep your iPhone safe It’s always a good idea to keep your iPhone up to date, particularly when security flaws are being used in real-life attacks. It’s especially relevant to update to iOS 16. 1 now if you are a high-target or business user.

If you have an iPad, Apple has just released iPadOS 16, which fixes the same set of security problems as iOS 16. 1. You know what to do—go to your Settings > General > Software Update and upgrade to iOS 16.

1 to keep your iPhone safe. Follow me on Twitter or LinkedIn . Kate O’Flaherty Editorial Standards Print Reprints & Permissions.