Government Asks iPhone, iPad Users to Update Their Devices Immediately in India: Here’s Why

iOS 14.7.1 and iPadOS 14.7.1 come with a critical memory corruption bug fix.

By Tasneem Akolawala | Updated: 31 July 2021 15:09 IST

Government Asks iPhone, iPad Users to Update Their Devices Immediately in India: Here’s Why

CERT-In urges that the flaw is being exploited in the wild and advises users to update urgently

Highlights

Vulnerability can be exploited by an attacker to gain remote access
CERT-In advises users to apply the security patch urgently
iPhone users need to go into Settings to look for the latest update

The government's official IT security organisation CERT-In (Indian Computer Emergency Response Team) has asked Apple users to urgently update their iPhone and iPad units to the latest versions. iOS 14.7.1 and iPadOS 14.7.1 were released earlier this week with critical bug fixes. The updates fix a memory corruption zero-day vulnerability that the government confirms is being actively exploited in the wild. CERT-In says that successful exploitation of these vulnerabilities could allow an attacker with kernel privileges to execute arbitrary code and gain elevated privileges on a targeted system.

CERT-In has issued a security alert for all iPhone and iPad users urging them to update to the latest iOS 14.7.1 and iPadOS 14.7.1 versions. The memory corruption issue affects all iPhone 6s and later handsets, all iPad Pro models, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad fifth generation and later devices, iPad mini 4 and later models, iPod Touch (seventh generation), and devices running macOS Big Sur. The fix is also bundled with macOS Big Sur 11.5.1.

Apple’s App Store Gets UPI, RuPay, Netbanking as Alternate Payment Options

This memory corruption vulnerability, CERT-In says, could be exploited by an attacker to execute malicious code and gain remote access. The vulnerability exists in IOMobileFrameBuffer of Apple's iOS and iPadOS due to memory corruption issue with inadequate memory handling. CERT-In says that a hacker with kernel privileges can exploit this vulnerability using a malicious crafted application. The government authority urges that the flaw is being exploited in the wild and advises users to apply the security patch urgently.

Elon Musk Says ‘Epic Is Right,’ Takes Sides in Battle With Apple

For all those who haven't updated their iPhone and iPad models yet, can do so by going to Settings > General > Software Update and manually look for an update to install. It is recommended that you stay on the latest update, especially if you use one of the above-mentioned devices. Mac users can update to the latest version by going to System Preferences in the Apple menu and clicking on Software Update.

Is OnePlus cannibalising itself with the Nord 2 5G? We discussed this and more on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

Affiliate links may be automatically generated - see our ethics statement for details.

Comments

For the latest tech news and reviews, follow Gadgets 360 on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News. For the latest videos on gadgets and tech, subscribe to our YouTube channel. If you want to know everything about top influencers, follow our in-house Who'sThat360 on Instagram and YouTube.