Apple rolls out fix for iPhone, iPad bug being exploited by hackers

Apple has issued a new security update to fix a vulnerability in iPhone and iPad’s operating systems that hackers have been exploiting in the wild.  The security patch is available for 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, according to the company. Also Read: Apple Noida Outlet Opens For Customers, Becoming The Fifth Apple Store In India

Apple rolls out a new fix for iPad, iPhone operating system bugs

“Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution,” said Apple. Also Read: Govt Seeks Clarification From Apple As ‘Mercenary’ Spyware Threat Alerts Reach Users In India

The tech giant admitted that it “is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited”. Also Read: Foldable Smartphone Shipments May Jump 30% In 2026 As Apple Prepares Entry

Apple acknowledged The Citizen Lab at The University of Toronto’s Munk School for their assistance in discovering and alerting the company about the vulnerability.

The Citizen Lab is known for exposing government hacking sypware made by Israel’s NSO Group.

This latest bug was in WebKit, Apple’s browser engine that’s used in Safari.

The iOS 16.3.1 and iPadOS 16.3.1 security updates are now available for download to fix the vulnerability.

Last year, Apple released a major update (iOS 14.5) that allows users to tell apps to stop tracking them, adds 217 new emojis, and fixes a slew of 50 security bugs, according to Motherboard.

The company had also released another update to fix two vulnerabilities that hackers were using to exploit iPhones in the wild.

—IANS