Apple has urged millions of its users to update their devices after serious security vulnerabilities were reported in iPhones and iPads. The California-based company urged its users to download the latest iOS patch, a little over a month after releasing the previous update, highlighting the gravity of the situation.
While Apple does not disclose or confirm security issues until an investigation has taken place, a vulnerability called CVE-2025-24201, identified within Webkit – the browser engine used in Safari and all other internet browsers created for the iPhone or iPad, is believed to be the reason behind the patch rollout.
“Maliciously crafted web content may be able to break out of Web Content sandbox. This is a supplementary fix for an attack that was blocked in iOS 17.2,” Apple said in a statement.
Hackers were using the flaw, akin to an open door by creating malicious websites that would grant them access to other smartphone areas outside of a victim’s web browser after visiting one of these phony pages.
While the patch fixes the vulnerability, it has added another bug. According to a report in Forbes, after the update, users are noticing that Apple Intelligence is active on their phones even if they had previously deactivated it.
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Update available for
- iPhone XS and later
- iPad Pro 13-inch
- iPad Pro 12.9-inch 3rd generation and later
- iPad Pro 11-inch 1st generation and later
- iPad Air 3rd generation and later
- iPad 7th generation and later
- iPad mini 5th generation and later
Previous instance
This is not the first instance in recent weeks that Apple has urged its customers to update their devices fearing security breaches. In February, Apple said it had been targeted by “extremely sophisticated” attacks where the USB Restricted Mode might be disabled on a locked device.
“Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been exploited in an extremely sophisticated attack against specific targeted individuals,” the iPhone maker said.
Notably, Apple’s Restricted Mode is a security feature added almost seven years ago in iOS 11.4.1 and included in all later versions of iOS. It prevents locked devices from leaking data to any accessories connected to the USB-C or Lightning port.