Apple’s iOS 17.2 update has arrived, bringing a ton of great new iPhone features. But with iOS 17.2 it also comes 12 new reasons why you need to update your iPhone yet, as it fixes twelve security threats, some of which are serious. Apple doesn’t provide any detail about what’s been fixed in iOS 17.2, so people may want to update their iPhones as soon as possible before attackers can get hold of the details.
One of the security issues patched in iOS 17.2 is tracked as CVE-2023-42890, which could have allowed an attacker to execute code, as mentioned on Apple’s support page.
The iOS 17.2 update also makes a security fix that fixes a problem in the kernel, which is at the heart of the iPhone operating system and where an app can escape its secure sandbox. Another significant improvement in iOS 17.2 is that ImageIO addresses two issues that could cause code to be executed from processing an image.
Sean Wright, Featurespace’s head of application security, also pointed to CVE-2023-45866, which is being patched in iOS 17.2, as an example—a Bluetooth-related security vulnerability that allows an attacker with reasonable access to capture keywords. He explained that the WebKit and Kernel vulnerabilities could be “chained together to give an attacker access to the device”.
The launch of iOS 17.2 comes less than two weeks after Apple released iOS 17.1.2, an emergency update that fixed two attacks that were happening in real life. Apple drops it in for its important security fixes in between big point updates like iOS 17.2, to ensure iPhone users don’t get left behind for feature upgrades that come with any bugs.
Plus, aside from the security updates, another big draw in iOS 17.2 is that it includes a new feature called Contact Key Verification—an update that prevents attackers from trying to read or listen to your conversations. , if they have breached the cloud server.
Designed to combat the increasing number of emerging spyware, Contact Key Verification does not impact the functionality of your iPhone as it affects the use of your iPhone and prevents you from using certain features. Therefore, you should turn it on only when you need it.
