Apple ships emergency iOS 12 security fix — update today

Don’t let aliens take over your digital life

Are you still running iOS 12 and perhaps using an older iPhone or iPad? Apple has published a software update you really should install today. It’s the iOS 12 equivalent of a patch published two weeks ago for more recent products.

Apple update older iPhones and iPads

Apple doesn’t usually update older operating systems, which is why when it does publish an update for them it usually has a very good reason. In this case, it is to patch a security flaw that it warns “May have been actively exploited”.

In other words, there’s something nasty going on and you should update.

The vulnerability is serious as it may allow attackers to run arbitrary code on devices that access malicious websites – including trying to take admin control of the device.

“Processing maliciously crafted web content may lead to arbitrary code execution. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited,” the company said.

The security patch, iOS 12.5.6, is available now to Apple users on iPhone 5S, iPhone 6, iPhone 5 Plus, iPad Air, iPad mini 2, iPad mini 3 and iPod touch 6.

May be actively used

Apple says the flaw is one in which “an out-of-bounds write issue was addressed with improved bounds checking”. The flaw was patched on more recent devices two weeks ago but is now available to older devices.

[Also read: NIST publishes essential macOS security guide for enterprise pros]

What’s important here is that these types of flaws may be used to attack highly sensitive targets. With that in mind, anyone who may belong in a high attack group – politicians, trade unionists, activists, journalists, activists – pretty much anyone, really – should update their device immediately.

It is also worth pointing out that Apple’s release of the patch and warning the flaw may already be being exploited strongly suggests the company has come across some people who have been targeted by this hack.

But the bottom line is if you are running iOS 12 you should update immediately.

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