Apple
Apple urges users to update to iOS 17.4 due to critical security flaw
Apple has released iOS 17.4 to address a couple of potential security issues and other bugs, including a private browsing bug in Safari, while also introducing new features and emojis.
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Apple’s frequent iOS updates have long been a subject of both appreciation and occasional eye-rolls.
However, the recent iOS 17.4 release isn’t about adding a couple of eyebrow-lifting emojis or sprucing up the aesthetic appeal of your home screen.
There’s more to dig into beneath the surface; let’s take a glance through the new peephole and what’s really cooking under the hood.
A couple of potential security issues have been resolved (Apple didn’t specify whether they were acting up during their work hours or after). Nevertheless, the hardworking folks at Apple have sufficiently patched it.
The security patches swipe clean the iPhone’s kernel and RTKit – which don’t start googling the jargon just yet; we’ll veer into that territory soon enough.
How to update your iPhone to iOS 17.4
Would you like a quick tutorial? Here, I’m going to show you anyway.
Here’s the quick version: To download the update, follow these steps: Settings > General > Software Update > Install Now, and voila! Do follow the subsequent instructions in detail; if you don’t, folks, you’re walking on thin ice here.
Open Settings
Navigate to General
Open Software Update
Select the update
Download the update
Confirm the install
And you’re done
Pro Tip
While you’re still on the update menu, tap on Automatic Updates and make sure that both toggles next to Download iOS Updates and Install iOS Updates are green. By doing this, you’ll never have to update your iPhone again manually.
The iPhone’s kernel and RTKit act as the unsung heroes in this update.
In non-tech terms, imagine the kernel as the conductor of an orchestra; it sets the tempo and controls all the operations within your operating system, ensuring each section (hardware and software) works harmoniously.
On the other hand, RTKit serves as Apple’s version of a ‘timekeeper.’ It’s akin to the precise workings of a clock, making sure everything within the system happens exactly when it should, crucial for instantaneous applications.
In an almost poetic description, Apple explains that an attacker armed with arbitrary kernel read and write capability could jump over these kernel memory protections. Evidently, tech warfare isn’t pretty.
If you want to dive into the nuts and bolts of these newly patched exploits, here’s how they’re classified in the Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVE) database:
The iOS 17.4 update also fixes Safari’s private browsing mode bug that could make hidden tabs visible when switching tab groups. So far, according to Apple, these issues have not been exploited in real-time.
If any malevolent actor dodged past these defenses, your system could plunge into dangerous territory. Thankfully, a two-minute update solves that. So, get to it. Put the phone down, put it on a charger, and get it updated.
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