Apple's announcement of a critical iPhone vulnerability and urgent update to fix it could cause everyone using an iPhone to panic.
iPhone, iPad, and Mac users are urged to install the fix as soon as possible to avoid being targeted by hacks that some people may already be using.
Even if they are easy to fix, the risks posed by such vulnerabilities are high. And even if most people were unaware of its existence, its effects can be devastating.
This is the latest major flare-up in the ongoing battle for iPhone dominance and entry. On the other hand, hackers, often employed by governments, are always looking for ways to get into devices. The other is Apple, security experts, and iPhone owners themselves.
It's not the first time Apple has released this kind of emergency security he update. But the latest is less public in that Apple has already revealed that it may have been exploited. There are only a handful of examples of such attacks throughout the history of the iPhone.
But it will almost certainly be more. Any device connected to the internet is a potential target for hackers, and perfect security will never exist.
But in most cases, the problem is easy to fix. Users can simply download and install the update that patches the vulnerability to get back to being as secure as possible.
But for Apple and its most risky customers, this is just the latest in an ongoing battle to keep hackers safe. For those hackers themselves, it's a rare and valuable success in that battle.
Hackers are always looking for bugs of this sort so they can sell them. Perhaps the most famous example is Pegasus, spyware believed to be used by many governments to gain access to iPhones. Hackers at this point read people's messages, track their location, and hear and see them through microphones and cameras.
Such powerful software is possible because there is a perfect market for finding such bugs. If hackers find a serious problem, like the one addressed in a new software update, they have the option of selling it to spyware companies. These spyware companies can weaponize it and sell it to nation states and other organizations. You can deploy them to dissidents and other enemies.
To combat the market for vulnerabilities, technology companies offer "bug bounties." This is a payment intended to encourage security researchers to hand off bugs to the companies responsible for them, rather than selling them. those who seek to use them for cyberattacks.
In the past, Apple has been criticized for both the value and efficiency of its bug bounty program. It can range from $100,000 for finding a way around an iPhone's lock screen or getting your iCloud account data to $1 million for the most serious bug. I don't even touch my phone.
Looking at Apple's security list of updates, it's clear how often these issues are discovered and how damaging they can be. The latest update was released on Wednesday and credited to an anonymous researcher - who probably made a good amount of money finding it - but before that, 2022 A critical security update was issued approximately once a month.
Knowing the exact severity of these attacks can be difficult because Apple and other technology companies keep that information confidential and unusable. If Apple reveals the nature of the attack, it can also give hackers clues on how to use it.
"For the protection of our customers, Apple will not disclose, discuss, or confirm security issues until an investigation has been conducted and a patch or release is generally available," states its website. I am writing to It's also a rule of the bug bounty program that hackers shouldn't talk about problems before they're resolved.
However, even with these updates, your iPhone won't be completely secure. Hackers are always looking for ways to break into your device, and sometimes they find them. No device is completely secure. Even Apple itself recognizes this with an update.
Last month, Apple announced the introduction of "lockdown mode." Its existence recognizes the fact that there is always some tension between convenient features and total security on a phone, and not always with both.
Turning that mode on reveals that the phone "doesn't work as it should". It also clarifies that it is intended only for those who are likely to be personally targeted by such an attack.
Optional extreme protection to use only if you believe you may be being targeted." "Most people will never be targeted by this type of attack."
Apple has clarified who should be considered high-risk users who should turn on this mode. Doesn't provide clear guidance. But it was suggesting that anyone who belongs to that group already knows. If you have no reason to suspect that you could fall victim to such a hack, you probably won't.
One reason is that exploiting such vulnerabilities often means alerting companies and security professionals to the fact that vulnerabilities exist. is. For example, the powerful Pegasus spyware was discovered when attackers attempted to use it on human rights activists. The fact that they use exploits means they are weaker, so they are generally only used against high-profile targets that are worth the risk.
Using such attacks is also a lot of work and not something that can be done en masse. Phones are usually compromised with questionable links or files. For example, they are sent to the user, who must open it.
In any case, this does not mean that the danger is not significant to those who do not consider themselves to be at high risk, but security experts nonetheless advise that updates should be made as soon as they become available. Prompting users to install on