If you are an
Apple user, you should read this update from the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), a division of India’s Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. CERT-In has issued a “high-security risk alert” for Apple device users.
The organization has warned of a number of vulnerabilities in some Apple devices that, if left unresolved, could allow unauthorized access to users’ phones and other devices. It could also lead to the theft of sensitive data.
The cybersecurity organization has said that the vulnerability has been discovered in the WebKit browser engine that is used by Safari and other browsers.
The security lapse could have serious consequences for users of iPhones and Apple Watch.
Using these vulnerabilities, the attackers could trick users into visiting malicious websites or opening malicious attachments, giving them access to the user’s personal information and files. The attackers could even install malware on the user’s device.
“Multiple vulnerabilities have been reported in Apple products which could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, escalation of privileges or bypass security restrictions on the targeted system,” reads the official note.
“Successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker to execute arbitrary code, escalation of privileges or bypass security restrictions on the targeted system.”
In simple words, Apple users may put their data at risk of being stolen if they are not careful with the links and attachments they open.
CERT-In has also said that “these vulnerabilities are being exploited in the wild against versions of iOS before iOS 16.7”.
The list of Apple devices at the risk of vulnerability:
Apple macOS Monterey versions prior to 12.7
Apple macOS Ventura versions prior to 13.6
Apple watchOS versions prior to 9.6.3
Apple watchOS versions prior to 10.0.1
Apple iOS versions prior to 16.7 and iPadOS versions prior to 16.7
Apple iOS versions prior to 17.0.1 and iPadOS versions prior to 17.0.1
Apple Safari versions prior to 16.6.1
How can you stay safe?
The best safeguard against any cybersecurity issue is to keep your software updated since companies keep issuing security updates from time to time.
So, it is strongly recommended that Apple users who are at risk should install the most recent updates for watchOS, tvOS, and macOS on their Apple devices.
Apple has also supplied the necessary upgrades to fix this issue on the official website,
cert-in.org.in.