iPhone owners are being advised to review their device settings to ensure they are not susceptible to potential cyber threats without their knowledge.
One of the challenges with technology is its occasional vulnerabilities, which can lead to the exposure of users’ private information without them being aware.
Apple is encouraging customers to verify their settings and install the newest version of iOS 18 to safeguard against such risks.
In announcing a significant update, Apple stated that it will include ‘security fixes’ for iPhones.
“This update provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users,” Apple declared.
The iOS 18.6.2 update is easy to access by navigating to Settings, selecting General, and then Software Update.
Apple has recently acknowledged a report indicating that data might have been exploited in a highly advanced attack targeting select users.
Most iPhone users are likely secure, but the company emphasizes that updating will help ensure all users are protected from threats.
On its website, Apple mentioned the vulnerability could allow ‘processing a malicious image file may result in memory corruption’. It also stated, ‘Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals’.
The new update is compatible with devices including ‘iPhone XS and later, iPad Pro 13-inch, iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later, iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later, iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 7th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later’.
This is not the first vulnerability reported this year. In May, an expert highlighted a major leak of emails and passwords impacting millions of users.
Data-breach investigator and security researcher Jeremiah Fowler identified a substantial Elastic database containing 184 million login credentials for services like Google, Apple, Facebook, Instagram, and Netflix.
In June, news surfaced about billions of passwords leaked in what was referred to as the ‘largest breach’ ever recorded.
Researchers at Cybernews revealed that 16 billion passwords related to services like Apple, Facebook, and government platforms were leaked shortly after Google advised its users to update their passwords to avoid potential hacks.
The Cybernews team also noted ’30 exposed datasets containing from tens of millions to over 3.5 billion records each’.
Back in July, Apple released another update, iOS 18.6, which included 29 security patches to address significant vulnerabilities and prevent attacks.
As per Apple’s support documentation, many of these issues pertain to WebKit, the engine powering Safari.
iOS 18.6 also addressed a flaw in CoreMedia Playback to prevent unauthorized apps from accessing sensitive user data.
With the new vulnerability related to Apple’s ImageIO framework identified, updating to the latest iOS is crucial to keep users protected from all known security threats.