- Apple pushes iOS alerts to older handsets
- You must apply the latest updates to stay protected
- This affects iOS 13 through iOS 17.2.1
Earlier this month, Apple took the rare step of issuing a public security warning to users running outdated versions of iOS on their iPhones, and how the company has gone further, pushing warnings to the lock screens of vulnerable devices.
As spotted by MacRumors, the warning comes labeled as a “Critical Software” update and urges users to get their phones patched to protect against “attacks targeting outdated iOS software, including the version on your iPhone.”
The attacks Apple refers to here include fraudulent and compromising web links created through the Coruna and DarkSword exploit kits. As the official support document says, following any of these links may put your device at risk.
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The exploits can work on phones running iOS 13 all the way up to iOS 17.2.1, and the corresponding iPadOS versions are also affected. Apple has provided patches to protect against these attacks – which you should install if you haven’t already.
How to stay protected
The fix for this is straightforward: flash your phone through General > Software Update in Settings. All versions of iOS from iOS 15 onwards are now protected against these threats and will block access to the malicious links that have been identified.
If you’re still using iOS 13 or iOS 14, update to at least iOS 15 at your first opportunity. iOS 15 is compatible with handsets as far back as the iPhone 6S, which launched in 2015, so it’s only on really old iPhones that you still have a problem.
For those of you using anything older than 2015, it might be time to consider investing in a new iPhone — or you’ll be leaving yourself pretty exposed to these issues. There will be no fixes for the really old software versions.
Apple says that if for some reason you are unable to update your iPhone, you may want to consider enabling Lockdown Mode. This is a super secure iOS configuration that adds extra protection, but it’s only available on iOS 16 and later.
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