Apple warns users to urgently update iPhone after zero-day bugs

Two so-called ‘zero-day bugs’ are allowing hackers to take control of iPhones, iPads and Mac devices, Apple says.

Tech giant Apple is urging its millions of iPhone, iPad and Mac users to urgently update their devices, after two so-called ‘zero-day bugs’ were discovered that are being actively exploited by hackers.

The tech titan released patches this week to fix what it described as vulnerabilities that hackers are aware of and are taking advantage of. It says it has fixed the issues, but that users of iPhones, iPads and Macs should patch their systems as soon as possible.

“Simply put, a cybercriminal could implant malware on your device even if all you did was to view an otherwise innocent web page,” Sophos senior technologist Paul Ducklin said.

“There’s a remote code execution hole dubbed CVE-2022-32893 in Apple’s HTML rendering software (WebKit), by means of which a booby trapped web page can trick iPhones, iPads and Macs into running unauthorised and untrusted software code.

“There’s also a kernel code execution hole dubbed CVE-2022-32894, by which an attacker who has already gained a basic foothold on your Apple device by exploiting the abovementioned WebKit bug could jump from controlling just a single app on your device to taking over the operating system kernel itself, thus acquiring the sort of ‘administrative superpowers’ normally reserved for Apple itself.”

Mr Ducklin said a hacker could use the exploit to spy on any and all apps currently running, change system security settings, retrieve your location, take screenshots, copy text messages, track your browsing and much more.

“Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited,” Apple said in a statement.

The company has released patches for the iPhones, iPads and Mac computers running on operating systems with the vulnerability.

Anyone using an iPhone 6s or later, using a Mac running MacOS Monterey, or any model of iPad Pro, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation or later, iPad Mini 4 and later, or iPad Touch should update.

To update your iPhone, plug your device into power and connect to the internet with Wi-Fi. Go to Settings > General, then tap Software Update. If you see two software update options available, choose the one that you want to install. Tap ‘Install Now’.

Apple has also released a security update for its Safari web browser.