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      Apple releases iOS 16.7.2 and iOS 15.8 security updates to patch old hardware

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Wednesday, 25 October - 19:31 · 1 minute

    iPhones running iOS 15.

    Enlarge / iPhones running iOS 15. (credit: Apple)

    Apple is releasing a slew of updates for its latest operating systems today, including iOS and iPadOS 17.1, macOS Sonoma 14.1, watchOS 10.1, and others. The company is also releasing security updates for a few previous-generation operating systems, so that people who aren't ready to upgrade (and older devices that can't upgrade) will still be protected from new exploits.

    Those updates include iOS and iPadOS 16.7.2 and 15.8 , macOS Ventura 13.6.1 , macOS Monterey 12.7.1 , and the Safari 17.1 update for both of those macOS versions. At least for now, the iOS and iPadOS 16 updates cover older iPhones and iPads that can't run iOS 17 and newer devices whose owners simply don't want to install iOS 17 yet. Apple will eventually stop supporting newer hardware with iOS 16 security updates, but for now, the grace period is still in effect.

    This is the first security update that Apple has delivered for iOS 15 since mid-September, suggesting that the company plans to keep supporting 2021's iOS release with continued security updates for at least a while longer. The iOS 15.8 update will only run on phones and tablets that can't install iOS 16 or 17, including the iPhone 6S, the iPhone 7, the original iPhone SE, the iPad Air 2, and the last iPod Touch.

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      iOS 16.7 arrives for older iPhones and people who don’t want to upgrade

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Friday, 22 September, 2023 - 13:51 · 1 minute

    iPhones running iOS 16.

    Enlarge / iPhones running iOS 16. (credit: Apple)

    Apple has released iOS 17 and iPadOS 17 (and their first minor patch, version 17.0.1) to the public this week, and by most accounts, it's a fairly mild and stable update that doesn't seem to be breaking much. But a few years ago, as you might recall , Apple made a change to how it handles operating system transitions—iOS 16 will keep getting updates for a short stretch so that people who want to wait a bit before they upgrade can do so without missing important security updates.

    The iOS and iPadOS 16.7 update covers all devices that could run version 16, including older stuff like the iPhone 8, iPhone X, and first-gen iPad Pro that can't be upgraded to version 17. In a couple of months, if precedent holds , newer devices will have to upgrade to keep getting security fixes, while iOS 16 updates will continue to support older devices for at least another year.

    On the Mac side, Apple continues releasing security updates for operating systems for two years after they're replaced by a new version. For the last year, that has meant that versions 11, 12, and 13 (Big Sur, Monterey, Ventura) have all been getting patches. Now that version 14 (Sonoma) is around the corner, version 11 will stop being updated.

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      Apple releases iOS, iPadOS, and macOS updates to fix bugs and shore up security

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Monday, 24 July, 2023 - 19:29 · 1 minute

    Macs running macOS Ventura.

    Enlarge / Macs running macOS Ventura. (credit: Apple)

    Apple's iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS 13 operating systems are all due to be replaced with new versions in the next two or three months, but some bugs can't wait for a whole new release. The company has released iOS/iPadOS 16.6 and macOS 13.5 to fix several "actively exploited" security bugs, plus a handful of other security fixes for problems that have been reported to Apple but aren't being exploited in the wild yet. The release notes also mention unspecified "bug fixes" for each OS.

    The new updates don't add anything by way of new features—at least, there aren't any mentioned in the release notes. This will likely be the case for most iOS 16 and macOS 13 Ventura updates going forward, as Apple shifts its focus to newer operating systems. The iOS/iPadOS 17 and macOS 14 Sonoma updates should be available in September or October, if Apple sticks to its historical release schedule. The public betas were released earlier this month.

    Several of the security fixes in these updates were originally part of a Rapid Response security update for iOS 16.5.1 and macOS 13.4.1. The original version of that update was pulled post-release after it broke a few major websites on devices that installed it, but a working version with the same fixes was released soon after.

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      Apple fixes 0-day kernel and WebKit security flaws in iOS, macOS, watchOS, and more

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Thursday, 22 June, 2023 - 14:55

    Apple fixes 0-day kernel and WebKit security flaws in iOS, macOS, watchOS, and more

    Enlarge (credit: Apple)

    Apple has released new minor updates for iOS 16, macOS 13 Ventura, and most of its other actively supported operating systems that fix a pair of serious security bugs that the company says "may have been actively exploited." You should install the iOS and iPadOS 16.5.1 , macOS 13.4.1 , and watchOS 9.5.2 updates at your earliest convenience, if you haven't already.

    One of the vulnerabilities, CVE-2023-32434, is a kernel-level flaw that can allow apps to "execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges." The other, a WebKit bug labeled CVE-2023-32439, can allow the execution of arbitrary code after processing "maliciously crafted web content."

    The iOS and iPadOS 16.5.1 updates also fix a non-security bug "that prevents charging with the Lightning to USB 3 Camera Adapter."

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      Apple releases last week’s security patches for older iPhones, iPads, and Macs

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Monday, 10 April, 2023 - 19:37 · 1 minute

    iPhones running iOS 15.

    Enlarge / iPhones running iOS 15. (credit: Apple)

    Last week, Apple released iOS and iPadOS 16.4.1 and macOS Ventura 13.3.1 to patch two actively exploited security vulnerabilities and fix other small bugs. Today it’s following those up with iOS and iPadOS 15.7.5 , macOS Monterey 12.6.5 , and macOS Big Sur 11.7.6 to patch those same vulnerabilities in older devices that are still receiving software updates but aren’t capable of running the newest OSes.

    Mac owners will also want to install last week’s Safari 16.4.1 update. Safari is still updated separately from the rest of the OS on Macs, so the Safari update plugs one of the security holes (CVE-2023-28205, a WebKit arbitrary code execution vulnerability), and the macOS update patches the other (CVE-2023-28206, a graphics-related bug that can allow arbitrary code execution with kernel privileges).

    You'll be able to install the Mac updates on any Mac that's running Big Sur or Monterey, even if the hardware is capable of upgrading to Ventura. Apple is only providing iOS and iPadOS 15 updates to older devices that can’t run version 16. That list of old devices includes models like the iPhone 6S and 7, the original iPhone SE, the last iPod Touch, and the iPad Air 2 that Apple sold for several years in the mid-2010s.

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      Only iPhones that can’t run iOS 16 are getting new iOS 15 updates

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Tuesday, 13 December, 2022 - 22:44 · 1 minute

    iPhones running iOS 15.

    Enlarge / iPhones running iOS 15. (credit: Apple)

    As part of the barrage of operating system updates released earlier today , Apple published new iOS and iPadOS 15.7.2 updates that bring most of the iOS 16.2 security patches to the previous version of the operating system.

    Both 15.7 and 15.7.1 were released after iOS 16 became available, and they served two purposes: to support newer devices whose owners didn't want to jump to iOS 16 and older devices that weren't able to run iOS 16. The iOS 15.7.2 update supports a smaller number of devices. From Apple's security updates page, emphasis ours:

    Available for: iPhone 6s (all models), iPhone 7 (all models), iPhone SE (1st generation) , iPad Pro (all models), iPad Air 2 and later, iPad 5th generation and later, iPad mini 4 and later, and iPod touch (7th generation)

    Any iPad owner running iPadOS 15 can still download the 15.7.2 update instead of iPadOS 16, but newer iPhones will need to install iOS 16.2 to get all the latest security patches. The company did something similar last year and supported iOS 14 for a couple of months after iOS 15 came out but eventually ended iOS 14 support. (iPhones and iPads may be treated differently this year because the first version of iPadOS 16 released to the public came out a month after the first release of iOS 16.)

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      Apple sends out iOS 15.7, macOS 12.6 with security updates as it releases iOS 16

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Monday, 12 September, 2022 - 20:45 · 1 minute

    Screenshot of smartphone interface.

    Enlarge / A few apps that received significant updates in iOS 15. (credit: Samuel Axon)

    Apple released the next major versions of several of its operating systems today, including watchOS 9, tvOS 16, and iOS 16 . The latter is probably the most significant of the three, with a total overhaul of the iPhone lock screen, new iMessage editing and message deletion capabilities, and passkeys that attempt to replace passwords (Our full iOS 16 review is forthcoming.)

    Also of note are a volley of updates for older operating systems, including iOS 15.7 , iPadOS 15.7, and macOS Monterey 12.6 . The iPad and macOS updates both bring the security-related patches from the newer OS versions back to older ones while we wait for the release of iPadOS 16.1 and macOS Ventura later in the fall . The release of iOS 15.7 serves two purposes: to keep older iPhones that can't run iOS 16 updated with security patches (this includes the iPhone 6S and iPhone 7 series along with the original iPhone SE, among others) and to let people who don't want to upgrade to iOS 16 a way to get security updates.

    Apple also did this for a few months after the release of iOS 15 , offering version 14.8 to supported devices so that people could defer the update without putting themselves at risk. By January 2022, the company stopped updating iOS 14 and pushed all iOS users to update to version 15.2.1.

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      Apple releases macOS Monterey 12.5, watchOS 8.7, and iOS, iPadOS, and tvOS 15.6

      news.movim.eu / ArsTechnica · Thursday, 21 July, 2022 - 18:16

    A 14-inch laptop on a table

    Enlarge / The 2021 14-inch MacBook Pro. (credit: Samuel Axon)

    This week, Apple released software updates for all of its platforms, including iOS 15.6, iPadOS 15.6, macOS Monterey 12.5, watchOS 8.7, tvOS 15.6, and HomePod software version 15.6.

    With iOS 16 and its peers just a couple of months away, these updates add no major new features. The most visible addition in iOS 15.6, iPadOS 15.6, and macOS 12.5 this week is the ability to pause, rewind, fast-forward, or restart a live sports game. Also, Siri can now recognize voices in Mandarin, Cantonese, and Japanese on the HomePod.

    Beyond that, it's all about bug fixes, performance improvements, and other smaller tweaks.

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