Apple Distributes Emergency Security Update for iPhone and Mac - Protect Yourself Now!

Apple Distributes Emergency Security Update for iPhone and Mac - Protect Yourself Now!

If you haven't updated your iPhone, iPad, or Mac recently, you will want to install the latest patches now, as Apple has released an emergency security update to address two new zero-day vulnerabilities

As reported by BleepingComputer, these new zero-day vulnerabilities have already been exploited by hackers However, Cupertino has not provided further details on how hackers are exploiting these vulnerabilities or which Apple users are currently being targeted

Both of these zero-day (tracked as CVE-2023-42916 and CVE-2023-42917) were discovered in Apple's WebKit, which drives Safari and is also used in many of the company's apps for iOS, iPadOS and macOS discovered in the browser engine [When exploited, these vulnerabilities allow attackers to access sensitive information stored on Apple devices through out-of-bounds read vulnerabilities or execute arbitrary code by exploiting memory corruption bugs using malicious web pages

What to do: Both security flaws have been addressed in the iOS 1712, iPadOS 1712, macOS Sonoma 1412, and Safari 1712 releases However, it is up to you to update your Apple devices to remain safe from potential attacks

The list of affected devices is very long, as WebKit is used on the best iPhones, the best MacBooks, and even the iPad

According to an advisory released by Apple with its latest emergency security update, all iPhones from iPhone XS onward and Macs running MacOS Monterey, Ventura, and Sonoma are vulnerable

The list of affected iPads is also quite long: iPad Pro 129-inch 2nd generation and later, iPad Pro 105-inch, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 6th generation and later, iPad mini 5th generation and later all need to be updated

Like the recent Chrome zero-day that was patched yesterday, both of these new vulnerabilities were discovered and reported by Google's Threat Analysis Group (TAG) As such, they could be used in spyware attacks or cyber attacks targeting high-profile individuals such as journalists and politicians

When it comes to keeping iPhones, iPads, Macs, and other Apple devices safe from hackers, the easiest way is to install the latest updates as soon as they become available

While it may be annoying to constantly update your devices, taking just a few minutes to install the updates mentioned above can leave you vulnerable to hackers and even identity theft

In addition to this, to stay safe, you should use the best Mac antivirus software on your Apple computer iOS has no equivalent to Android antivirus apps due to Apple's own limitations, but Intego Mac Internet Security X9 and Intego Mac Premium Bundle X9 can scan iPhones and iPads for malware when connected to a Mac using a USB cable

These new emergency security updates should be available for download and installation now However, until a sufficient number of customers update their devices, it is unlikely that we will hear anything from Apple regarding these zero-day exploit attacks But even then, Cupertino is unlikely to reveal how hackers are attacking its iPhones and Macs to avoid giving other cybercriminals ideas

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