iOS 18 Fixes Urgent Security Vulnerabilities for Millions of Users – Update Your iPhone Now

Before the premiere iPhone 16 At the end of this week, Apple released iOS18 including updates to popular apps like Notes, Calendar, and Maps, new personalization tools, and some useful privacy improvements.

Even if you are holding on to the old iPhoneyou should download and install the latest version of iOS because it contains fixes for many dangerous security holes that hackers can exploit in their attacks.

As reported Safety WeekiOS 18 includes fixes for at least 33 different vulnerabilities. Many of them also affect core components best iPhones With Bluetooth Down Control center; if exploited, they can be used to gain unauthorized access to data stored on your iPhone, or even take complete control of vulnerable devices.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new security patches in iOS 18, plus some tips and tricks to keep your Apple devices safe from hackers.

iPhone security vulnerabilities

In the new Security BulletinApple has disclosed all of the iOS 18 vulnerabilities that have been patched. Since there are so many of them, I’ll focus on just the most serious ones and how hackers can exploit them in their attacks.

Four of the 33 defects concern iPhone accessibility features. The first defect (tracked as CVE-2024-40840) could allow an attacker with physical access to your iPhone or iPad to use Siri to access sensitive user data. Similarly, another accessibility flaw (tracked as CVE-2024-44171) can be used by an attacker who holds your locked iPhone to take control of nearby devices.

When it comes to Bluetooth, another drawback (tracked as CVE-2024-44124) can be exploited to enable a malicious Bluetooth input device – such as best wireless keyboards — to bypass pairing requirements.

If you are using one of the best vpn for iphone services, kernel defect (tracked as CVE-2024-44165) may cause network traffic to leak outside VPN Tunnel which defeats the purpose of using a VPN to protect your online privacy. Meanwhile, another flaw in iOS Mail accounts (tracked as CVE-2024-40791) may allow the app to access your contact information.

There are also two drawbacks related to Siri. The first (tracked as CVE-2024-44139 AND CVE-2024-44180) can be exploited by an attacker with physical access to your iPhone to access your contacts directly from the lock screen. The second Siri-related flaw (tracked as CVE-2024-44170) may allow the app to access sensitive user data on your iPhone if the patch is not installed.

There are also two Disadvantages of Webkit which is the browser engine used by Safari. The first one (tracked as CVE-2024-44187) could enable the processing of malicious web content, leading to universal cross-site scripting. The second (tracked as CVE-2024-44187) could enable malicious sites to exfiltrate cross-origin information.

Finally, the Wi-Fi defect (tracked as CVE-2024-40856) can be used by a hacker to force your iPhone to disconnect from a secure network, leaving you vulnerable to further attacks.

These are just a few of the security vulnerabilities that have already been patched with the release of iOS 18. For more information, see the Apple security bulletin linked above.

How to protect your Apple devices from hackers

(Photo source: robert coolen/Shutterstock)

The first and most important thing you can do to protect your iPhone and best MacBooks safe from hackers is to install updates as soon as they come out. Although not every update will have cool new features like Apple Intelligence To test them, you should not skip them, as Apple often releases patches for security vulnerabilities similar to those described above.

If you wait to install updates and patches, you are putting yourself and your data at risk, as hackers love to target people who are using old software. It may be annoying to have to update your iPhone, iPad, and Mac so often, but you’ll be glad you did the next time you read about a dangerous Malware for Mac or other threats directed against users of Apple devices.

Although there is no equivalent for iOS best antivirus apps for android due to Apple’s restrictions on malware scanning on mobile devices, one of the best antivirus software for mac solutions have a workaround for this problem. When the iPhone or even one of the best iPads is connected to the Mac via USB cable, both Intego Mac Internet Security X9 AND Intego Mac Premium Package X9 they can be scanned for malware.

While Macs were once much safer against malware and other threats, hackers have taken notice of them, and since the first iPhone came out, these devices have grown in popularity and more resources have been devoted to combating them.

Spyware, malware, and other attacks designed to target Apple devices are also very lucrative for cybercriminals. Fortunately, Apple continues to release timely updates to deal with all kinds of cyber threats. However, it is up to you whether to install these updates sooner or later to protect yourself from the latest attacks.