Apple Users Beware! Your Sensitive Data Could Be At Risk, Govt Issues Major Warning Against iOS, macOS, Safari

CERT-In strongly urges all users of these Apple products to update their devices immediately to the latest software versions

Apple's vulnerabilities could enable attackers to access sensitive user information.

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Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), the cybersecurity agency under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has issued a high-severity alert for Apple users following the release of the iPhone 16. This alert warns of multiple vulnerabilities detected across various Apple products, including iOS, iPadOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, Safari, Xcode, and visionOS.

According to CERT-In, these vulnerabilities could enable attackers to access sensitive user information and carry out a range of harmful activities.

CERT-In has published an Advisory on its website (19-09-2024)
Multiple vulnerabilities in Apple productshttps://t.co/1kL3P1MI2D

— CERT-In (@IndianCERT) September 20, 2024

The agency has highlighted that these security flaws could be exploited by malicious actors to execute arbitrary code, bypass security restrictions, cause denial-of-service (DoS) conditions, and elevate their access privileges.

Additionally, the vulnerabilities could lead to authentication bypasses, allowing attackers to gain unauthorised access and perform spoofing attacks, posing significant risks to users' privacy and device security.

Which Apple OS Versions Are Affected

• iOS and iPadOS versions before 18 and 17.7
• macOS Sonoma versions before 14.7
• macOS Ventura versions before 13.7
• macOS Sequoia versions before 15
• tvOS versions before 18
• watchOS versions before 11
• Safari versions before 18
• Xcode versions before 16
• visionOS versions before 2

What Can Users Do?

CERT-In strongly urges all users of these Apple products to update their devices immediately to the latest software versions, as Apple has already released patches to address these vulnerabilities. The agency emphasised that keeping devices up to date is crucial for protecting against potential security breaches.

This alert follows a similar warning from CERT-In earlier this month about vulnerabilities in the Google Chrome browser, which affected users on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Users were advised to update to Chrome version 128.0.6613.119/.120 to mitigate those risks.

Staying updated with the latest software patches remains a critical step in ensuring digital safety.