iOS 14.7.1 and macOS Big Sur 11.5.1 Patch Security Vulnerability That May Have Been Actively Exploited

Apple today released unexpected iOS 14.7.1 and iPadOS 14.7.1 updates to the public, and according to a newly released support document, the software addresses a serious security vulnerability that may have been exploited in the wild.

General iOS 14
Apple says that an application may have been able to execute arbitrary code with kernel privileges due to a memory corruption issue. "Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited," reads the document.

The vulnerability has been addressed with improved memory handling, and because this is a security issue that may have affected some users, all iPhone and iPad users should update to iOS 14.7.1 and iPadOS 14.7.1 as soon as possible. The same vulnerability has also been addressed in the macOS Big Sur 11.5.1 update.

The iOS 14.7.1 update also fixes a bug that could prevent Touch ID iPhones from unlocking an Apple Watch.

Related Forum: iOS 14

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Top Rated Comments

adampk17 Avatar
49 months ago

Another reason why to use a mac....this one...updates every few months...to improve your device, not to crack it like my win10 device
Not to disagree with you about liking updates but Microsoft does update Windows 10 every month, sometimes more often. They aren't exactly slacking either.
Score: 21 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dadiy Avatar
49 months ago
Why the secrecy on this one. Pegasus patched but they don’t want to admit it?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
daved2424 Avatar
49 months ago

Glad Apple is staying on top of security.
So much so that Pegasus was a thing and seemingly for a very long time.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
49 months ago
Love the security updates. Apple is actively monitoring everything. All the bugs and Malware.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Localcelebrity Avatar
49 months ago

Why the secrecy on this one. Pegasus patched but they don’t want to admit it?
Probably because they can’t be sure they’ve patched all the ways in, only the ones they know about.

Also, Apple would definitely like to avoid increased media scrutiny by corroborating anything related to Pegasus, especially considering how few people were actually impacted, they don’t want to add to the hysteria.

Lastly, the less information they can give hackers as to how they patch things, the better.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
murdoc2k Avatar
49 months ago
It's always good to see Apple actively closing the loop holes. Also I'm super happy that unlocking Apple Watch with Touch ID is finally working again, something I use on a daily basis.
Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)