APPLE has issued an important security update that millions of iPhone owners need to install to protect themselves from hackers.
The tech giant hasn’t offered much more information about the update other than the fact your phone needs to install it urgently.
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Apple is currently withholding details about the iOS 17.4 update to allow as many iPhone users as possible to update their phones – before hackers get hold of information.
What the company has revealed, thus far, is that hackers have been exploiting a flaw in the “Kernel” in the iPhone operating system.
Apple revealed: “An attacker with arbitrary kernel read and write capability may be able to bypass kernel memory protections.
“Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited.”
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Users of older devices shouldn’t worry too much though, as Apple claims it has been able to fix this issue in iOS 16.7.6.
Another safety concern that Apple has been able to fix in their latest update is a bug in their RTKit.
This framework is used across most newer Apple devices – including their AirPods, Siri Remote, Apple Pencil 2 and Smart Keyboard Folio.
According to Apple, this flaw could also allow a hacker to overwrite and bypass memory protections.
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Again, Apple has said it has received a report of it being exploited.
Unfortunately, only iPhone users that update their phone to iOS 17.4 will be able to overcome this issue.
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Head of application security at Featurespace Sean Wright said that the combination of the above two issues could compromise the safety of your entire iPhone.
However, Wright added that it would be extremely difficult to successfully carry out such an attack.
He said: “Attackers would need to try to get the victim to install a malicious application or exploit a previous vulnerability that has not been patched.”
Other new features in the iOS 17.4 update include changes to Stolen Device Protection – allowing for a security delay in all locations.
It also includes a PQ3 messaging protocol that has been added to iMessage.
The protocol is thought to improve the security and privacy of your messages by getting ahead of future security threats such as quantum based attacks.
It comes after Apple users realised that an unknown iOS 17 feature can save tons of storage on their iPhones.
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One iOS 17 feature automatically deletes verification codes in iMessage and Mail after users use the AutoFill feature.
Getting verification codes sent to your iPhone can help provide an extra layer of security to all your accounts – but they can also stack up and eat into your storage space if you’re not careful.
