Apple has released iOS 16.4.1, warning you to update your iPhone immediately. This is because iOS 16.4.1 fixes two security holes that are both being used in real-world attacks.
Apple doesn’t say much about what’s fixed in iOS 16.4.1 so that iPhone owners have time to update. Apple’s support page says that the first already-exploited flaw in WebKit, Safari’s engine, could let an attacker run code on your device. This flaw is tracked as CVE-2023-28205.
The second bug that iOS 16.4.1 fixed is CVE-2023-28206, a problem with the IOSurfaceAccelerator that could let an app run arbitrary code with kernel privileges.
In both cases, Apple says, “We’ve heard that this problem may have been used maliciously.”
Both of the vulnerabilities that iOS 16.4 fixed are, of course, very serious. Even though it’s impossible to know what the attacks are about or whom they’re aimed at, Apple has released this update on a weekend, which is very unusual. The company that makes the iPhone usually releases important updates on Mondays or Tuesdays. The iOS 16.4.1 update must have been too important to wait until Monday or Tuesday. iOS 16.4 has only been out for a little over a week.
It’s the most critical update from Apple since February, when iOS 16.3.1 fixed a flaw already being used in attacks.
iOS 16.4.1 is available to install over the air!
Video coming soon.. pic.twitter.com/vvYpwaT1kX
— Brandon Butch (@BrandonButch) April 7, 2023
Why you need to update to iOS 16.4.1 now
Sean Wright, an independent security researcher, says it’s important to update now because iOS 16.4.1 is an emergency patch, and the problem is already being used in bad ways. “I’d suggest that people update as often as possible,” he says.
He says that Amnesty International’s Security Lab found the flaw. “That makes me think it’s being used for bad things,” he says.
Jake Moore, a global cybersecurity advisor at ESET, agrees that the fact that the iOS 16.4.1 update came out on the weekend shows how “sheer important” it is. “People need to make sure their devices are set to auto-update and check their settings to make sure they are on the latest iOS,” he says.
Even though iPhones can update themselves, it’s a good idea to install iOS 16.4.1 now by hand. Because automatic updates are slowly rolled out to different parts of the world, it can take a while for everyone to get them.
The iOS 16.4.1 update also fixes some bugs iPhone users have been struggling with, such as a Siri problem. So, why don’t you do it? To keep your iPhone safe, go to Settings > General > Software Update and update to iOS 16.4.1.
