Update Your Apple Devices ASAP

It’s time to update your iPhone. No, iOS 17 isn’t here yet (but it will be soon): Instead, the company released important security patches to fix vulnerabilities on your iPhone, iPad, Mac, and even Apple Watch.

Apple’s latest updates patch two security vulnerabilities

There are two specific vulnerabilities Apple has discovered and patched here. The first is an ImageIO issue, which allows bad actors to send you malicious images that could lead to arbitrary code execution. Essentially, if you open one of these malicious images, the bad actor on the other end could run whatever code they wanted to on your device and, in theory, control it.

The second vulnerability patched is related to the Wallet app: A malicious attachment could also lead to arbitrary code execution. In theory, you could unwittingly add a malicious pass to your Wallet, which would allow bad actors to run their code on your device and take it over.

For iPhone and iPad, Apple has released iOS 16.6.1 and iPadOS 16.6.1, respectively, which include patches for both vulnerabilities. This update is available on all devices compatible with iOS 16, which means iPhone 8 and later, iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 3rd generation and later, iPad 5th generation and later, and iPad mini 5th generation and later.

Apple released macOS Ventura 13.5.2 for Macs, with a patch for the ImageIO vulnerability, and watchOS 9.6.2 for Apple Watch Series 4 and newer, with a patch for the Wallet vulnerability.

Unfortunately, Apple has confirmed reports that both vulnerabilities have been exploited, which means bad actors know how to take advantage of them on unpatched devices. That makes it imperative that you download and install this update ASAP on all affected devices.

How to update your Apple devices

On your iPhone or iPad, head to Settings > General > Software Update, then hit “Download and Install” underneath iOS 16.6.1. Punch in your passcode, then wait for the update to download before installing it.

On macOS, go to System Settings > General > Software Update, then hit “Update Now” on macOS Ventura 13.5.2. For your Apple Watch, you’ll find the update either in the Watch app on your iPhone under General > Software Update, or on the watch itself from Settings > General > Software Update.