SAN FRANCISCO: Apple has disclosed a serious security vulnerability in iPhones, iPads and Macs that could give attackers complete control over these devices.
Apple released two security reports about the issue on Wednesday, but it didn’t get much attention outside of technical publications.
Apple’s description of the vulnerability means hackers can gain “full administrative access” to the device. This allows intruders to impersonate the device owner and run arbitrary software in their name, said Rachel Tobac, her CEO of SocialProof Security.
Security experts advise users to update affected devices (iPhone 6S and newer models). Some models of iPad, including 5th generation and newer, all iPad Pro models, and iPad Air 2. and Mac computers running MacOS Monterey. This flaw also affects some iPod models.
In its report, Apple did not say how, where, or by whom the vulnerability was discovered. In both cases, we cite anonymous researchers.
Security researcher Will Strafach says he hasn’t seen a technical analysis of the vulnerabilities Apple just patched. The company has previously acknowledged similar critical flaws, and Strafach estimates that it has been aware of reports of such security holes being exploited on perhaps a dozen occasions.
