iOS 15 neutralized a security gap that threatened users’ private information

Recently, there has been a lot of talk about iOS, be it the low adoption rate of iOS 15, Apple no longer allowing downgrades to an earlier version, or stopping the security patches for iOS 14. Now, a support document shared by the tech giant recently, reveals there is even more reason to update your iPhone’s operating system.

When it introduced iOS 15, Apple patched a critical security flaw, which could have potentially proven dangerous for iPhone owners. The flaw allowed malicious third-party apps to override users’ Privacy preferences and expose their private Apple ID information. (via 9to5Mac)

The support document reads that the iOS 15 update, released back in September 2021, addressed “additional sandbox restrictions on third-party applications.” Apple also doesn’t forget to credit developer Steve Troughton-Smith, who spotted the security hole and helped patch it up.

Besides the already mentioned, iOS 15, iPadOS 15, as well as watchOS 8.0 helped avoid another potentially dangerous vulnerability, which could have led to third-party applications bypassing users’ Privacy preferences. Suffice to say, having someone else tinker with your privacy settings could lead to a myriad of issues, so this is a power only the user should have.

Thankfully, though, there haven’t been any—at least official—reports, either from Apple or other sources, that these vulnerabilities have been exploited.

As an added side note, Apple has also added newly disclosed security flaws for iOS 14, iOS 15.1, macOS Big Sur 11.6.1, macOS Big Sur 11.6, tvOS 15, and tvOS 15.1 in its security content pages.

Given all this news, it is safe to say that updating your device to the latest available software version, while sometimes means having to endure bugs, is worth it if it means being a bit safer. All of the exploits mentioned above have been patched not only for iOS 15, but also for iPadOS 15, iOS 15.1, and iPadOS 15.1.