Apple has released iOS 17.7, which is recommended for all iPhone users.
Apple released iOS 17.7 on Monday, along with a warning to update your iPhone. Because iOS 17.7 includes a long list of 16 important security fixes for all iPhone users.
The company isn’t providing much information about what’s fixed in iOS 17.7 to give users time to update and prevent attackers from getting the details. The iOS 17.7 update “provides important security fixes and is recommended for all users,” Apple said.
Apple’s iOS 17.7 upgrade was released alongside iOS 18 and includes many of the same security fixes. The iOS 17.7 update is for iPhone users who want to wait to upgrade to the latest Apple software.
What was fixed in iOS 17.7?
The bugs fixed in iOS 17.7 include two in the kernel, the heart of the iOS operating system, Apple wrote on its support page. The first, CVE-2024-44165, could lead to network traffic leaks outside of a VPN tunnel. The second, CVE-2024-4419, could allow an app to gain unauthorized access to Bluetooth.
The iOS 17.7 update also fixes two issues in Shortcuts that could lead to data disclosure. A bug in Mail accounts, known as CVE-2024-40791, could allow an app to access information about a user’s contacts.
Meanwhile, an accessibility issue (CVE-2024-44171) could allow an attacker with physical access to a locked device to control nearby devices through accessibility features.
Apple has released iOS 17.7, along with a warning to update your iPhone. This is because iOS 17.7 … (+)
The majority of the vulnerabilities fixed in iOS 17.7 appear to impact availability or privacy, says Sean Wright, head of application security at Featurespace. Therefore, they are not of much value to attackers, he says.
Still, security updates are important, especially if you use your iPhone for work and a loss of availability would be a problem. With that in mind, he advises iPhone users to “update to the latest version of iOS 17 or upgrade to iOS 18.”
Apple’s iOS 17.7 update is available for the iPhone XS and later, 13-inch iPad Pro, 12.9-inch iPad Pro (2nd generation and later), 10.5-inch iPad Pro, 11-inch iPad Pro (1st generation and later), iPad Air (3rd generation and later), iPad (6th generation and later), and iPad mini (5th generation and later).
Update now to iOS 17.7 – or iOS 18
None of the issues fixed in iOS 17.7 are used for real attacks—yet. But the list of fixes is long and could affect the functioning of your iPhone and its data, so it’s important that you update as soon as possible.
Or, if you’re brave, you can update to iOS 18 now instead. I’ll also be covering iOS 18 in more detail, so check back on my page at Forbes.com.
So what are you waiting for? Go to your Settings > General > Software Update and update to iOS 17.7 or iOS 18 now.
