Govt issues high-risk warning for Apple products, asks them to update iPhone and other devices urgently

The Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-In), a cybersecurity agency under India's Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology, has issued a high-severity warning to Apple users about vulnerabilities in Apple products, including the iPhone, iPad, and Apple Watch. If overlooked, these vulnerabilities could allow attackers to take control of users' devices and steal sensitive data.

In its recent advisory dated October 27, CERT-In has warned that multiple vulnerabilities have been reported in Apple products that could allow attackers to perform a wide range of malicious actions, including accessing sensitive information without authorization, executing arbitrary code, bypassing security restrictions, causing denial-of-service attacks, bypassing authentication, gaining elevated privileges, and spoofing the targeted system.

" (Vulnerabilities) could allow an attacker to access sensitive information, execute arbitrary code, bypass security restrictions, cause denial of service (DoS) conditions, bypass authentication, gain elevated privileges and perform spoofing attacks on the targeted system," cites CERT-In in its official blog.

The cybersecurity agency further warns that these security flaws pose a significant threat as they could compromise the integrity and confidentiality of user data and the proper functioning of these Apple devices, making it crucial for users to stay informed and take necessary precautions.

Here is the list of Apple products, where CERT-In found multiple vulnerabilities:

Affected Apple products

• Apple iOS versions prior to 17.1 and iPadoS versions prior to 17.1
• Apple iOS versions prior to 16.7.2 and iPados versions prior to 16.7.2
• Apple iOS versions prior to 15.8 and iPados versions prior to 15.8
• Apple macOS Sonoma versions prior to 14.1
• Apple macOS Ventura versions prior to 13.6.1
• Apple macOS Monterey versions prior to 12.7.1
• Apple tvOS versions prior to 17.1
• Apple watchOS versions prior to 10.1
• Apple Safari versions prior to 17.1

How to stay safe

The authority responsible for cybersecurity across various software releases strongly recommends that people who want to protect their personal data install the latest updates for iOS, macOS, tvOS, watchOS, and Safari as soon as possible. Neglecting to address software vulnerabilities in Apple products could potentially expose these devices to unauthorised access by malicious actors.

On the positive side, Apple has already released the update, and users can install it by going to their device settings. Furthermore, users of Apple iPhone, iPad, and WatchOS can benefit from the latest software version, which incorporates enhanced security features and device enhancements.