Apple has released iOS 18.1 and it comes with a warning to update your iPhone as soon as possible. … [+]
Apple has released iOS 18.1 and it comes with a warning to update your iPhone as soon as possible. That’s because iOS 18.1 fixes a rather hefty 28 security flaws impacting Apple’s popular devices.
Apple typically doesn’t provide much detail about what’s fixed in its updates, so it’s no surprise that the details are scant for iOS 18.1. However, the iPhone maker does reveal that the new upgrade patches issues in the Kernel at the heart of the iOS operating system and in WebKit, the engine that underpins the Safari browser.
The iOS 18.1 update also comes with Apple Intelligence features, if you join a short waitlist of a couple of hours, making it an upgrade well worth applying now. Here’s what you need to know about the security fixes in iOS 18.1.
iOS 18.1 Security Fixes
Among the more notable patches, Apple’s iOS 18.1 fixes an issue in the Kernel, tracked as CVE-2024-44239, which could see an app able to leak sensitive kernel state, according to Apple’s support page.
The iOS 18.1 update addresses two WebKit flaws. The first, tracked as CVE-2024-44261, could allow an attacker to view restricted content from the lock screen. The second WebKit vulnerability, CVE-2024-44244, could see the Content Security Policy prevented from being enforced if a user downloads maliciously crafted web content.
The iOS 18.1 upgrade also fixes an issue in App Support tracked as CVE-2024-44255 which could allow a malicious app to run arbitrary shortcuts without user consent.
Meanwhile, iOS 18.1 squashes three privacy focused bugs in Apple’s Siri, including two that could see an app able to access sensitive data.
Another flaw, CVE-2024-44255, could enable a remote attacker to break out of Web Content sandbox.
Why You Should Update To iOS 18.1
The list of fixes in iOS 18.1 is big, making it worth updating your iPhone as soon as possible. If you don’t want to update to iOS 18 yet, Apple has also released iOS 17.7.1, fixing many of the same flaws, but the list of patches is not as extensive.
None of the issues fixed in iOS 18.1 stand out as being an emergency, says Sean Wright, head of application security at Featurespace. “Most of the vulnerabilities appear to be privacy or information leakage – albeit in some cases sensitive information,” he says.
But in most cases, the likelihood of the flaws being exploited is “extremely low” — especially given the lack of information Apple has provided about the vulnerabilities, Wright concedes.
“My advice is for folks to update when they can, with the added benefit of getting some of the new AI features included in this release,” he says.
I agree — it’s always a good idea to keep up to date with security upgrades and iOS 18.1 is no exception. The update also fixes several bugs including a random reset issue that has been hitting iPhone 16 users. Go to your Settings > General > Software Update and Upgrade to iOS 18.1 as soon as you can.