iOS 15 Includes Improved Face ID Anti-Spoofing Models and Other Vulnerability Fixes

The iOS 15 and iPadOS 15 updates that were released today add improved anti-spoofing models for Face ID, further improving the security of facial recognition on the iPhone X and later and the iPad Pro models.

iPhone 13 Face ID
According to Apple's security support document for the updates, there was a ‌Face ID‌ vulnerability that could allow a ‌Face ID‌ ‌iPhone‌ to be unlocked and authenticated using a 3D model constructed to look like the ‌iPhone‌'s owner.

Apple says that this issue has been resolved through improvements to the ‌Face ID‌ feature, which is available on the ‌iPhone‌ X, ‌iPhone‌ XR, ‌iPhone‌ XS (all models), ‌iPhone‌ 11 (all models), ‌iPhone‌ 12 (all models), ‌iPad Pro‌ (11-inch), and ‌iPad Pro‌ (3rd generation).

There are a number of other security fixes included in the iOS 15 update, but none of the exploits were listed as being used in the wild. There was an issue with the Neural Engine that could allow an application to execute arbitrary code with system privileges on devices with a Neural Engine, and a CoreML bug could let attackers cause unexpected application termination or arbitrary code execution.

Apple also addressed issues with FontParser, Preferences, Siri, WebKit, and WiFi, all of which are outlined in Apple's full security document.

For those not particularly interested in the feature set that iOS 15 offers, it may still be a good idea to upgrade just to get the full suite of security fixes that Apple has deployed.

Related Forum: iOS 15

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro Blue Feature Tighter Crop

iPhone 17 Pro Launching in Three Months With These 12 New Features

Saturday June 14, 2025 5:45 pm PDT by
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are three months away, and there are plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of June 2025:Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone X through iPhone 14 Pro have a...
iPadOS 26 App Windowing

Apple Explains Why iPads Don't Just Run macOS

Friday June 13, 2025 7:46 am PDT by
iPadOS 26 allows iPads to function much more like Macs, with a new app windowing system, a swipe-down menu bar at the top of the screen, and more. However, Apple has stopped short of allowing iPads to run macOS, and it has now explained why. In an interview this week with Swiss tech journalist Rafael Zeier, Apple's software engineering chief Craig Federighi said that iPadOS 26's new Mac-like ...
iphone 16 pro models 1

17 Reasons to Wait for the iPhone 17

Thursday June 12, 2025 8:58 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone development roadmap runs several years into the future and the company is continually working with suppliers on several successive iPhone models simultaneously, which is why we often get rumored features months ahead of launch. The iPhone 17 series is no different, and we already have a good idea of what to expect from Apple's 2025 smartphone lineup. If you skipped the iPhone...
Logitech Logo Feature

Logitech Announces Two New Accessories for WWDC

Friday June 13, 2025 7:22 am PDT by
Alongside WWDC this week, Logitech announced notable new accessories for the iPad and Apple Vision Pro. The Logitech Muse is a spatially-tracked stylus developed for use with the Apple Vision Pro. Introduced during the WWDC 2025 keynote address, Muse is intended to support the next generation of spatial computing workflows enabled by visionOS 26. The device incorporates six degrees of...
iOS 26 Screens

Here Are All the iOS 26 Features That Require iPhone 15 Pro or Newer

Thursday June 12, 2025 4:53 am PDT by
With iOS 26, Apple has introduced some major changes to the iPhone experience, headlined by the new Liquid Glass redesign that's available across all compatible devices. However, several of the update's features are exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 models, since they rely on Apple Intelligence. The following features are powered by on-device large language models and machine...
CarPlay Liquid Glass Dark

Apple to Let iPhone Users Watch Videos on CarPlay Screen While Parked

Thursday June 12, 2025 6:16 am PDT by
Apple this week announced that iPhone users will soon be able to watch videos right on the CarPlay screen in supported vehicles. iPhone users will be able to wirelessly stream videos to the CarPlay screen using AirPlay, according to Apple. For safety reasons, video playback will only be available when the vehicle is parked, to prevent distracted driving. The connected iPhone will be able to...
iOS 26 on Three iPhones

Hate iOS 26's Liquid Glass Design? Here's How to Tone It Down

Wednesday June 11, 2025 4:22 pm PDT by
iOS 26 features a whole new design material that Apple calls Liquid Glass, with a focus on transparency that lets the content on your display shine through the controls. If you're not a fan of the look, or are having trouble with readability, there is a step that you can take to make things more opaque without entirely losing out on the new look. Apple has multiple Accessibility options that ...
Mac Studio Feature

Apple Begins Selling Refurbished Mac Studio With M4 Max and M3 Ultra Chips at a Discount

Thursday June 12, 2025 10:14 am PDT by
Apple today added Mac Studio models with M4 Max and M3 Ultra chips to its online certified refurbished store in the United States, Canada, Japan, Singapore, and many European countries, for the first time since they were released in March. As usual for refurbished Macs, prices are discounted by approximately 15% compared to the equivalent new models on Apple's online store. Note that Apple's ...
iOS 26 Feature

Apple Seeds Revised iOS 26 Developer Beta to Fix Battery Issue

Friday June 13, 2025 10:15 am PDT by
Apple today provided developers with a revised version of the first iOS 26 beta for testing purposes. The update is only available for the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 models, so if you're running iOS 26 on an iPhone 14 or earlier, you won't see the revised beta. Registered developers can download the new beta software through the Settings app on each device. The revised beta addresses an...

Top Rated Comments

Apple_Robert Avatar
49 months ago
Glad to see more security like this in iOS 15.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexiaa Avatar
49 months ago

Still, it doesn‘t change the fact that people can still open your phone by just pointing it to your face!
Not true. That's exactly what "Require Attention for Face ID" is for, and it's on by default. You need to have your eyes open and actively looking at the screen. If you're looking away, it won't unlock. It's not totally impossible but makes it harder for people to pull that off. But if you're so concerned about that, you can temporarily disable Face ID by holding the power and volume down buttons for a few seconds.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
8707908 Avatar
49 months ago

you rather have your finger cut off?
I’ve Been hearing about this scenario for almost a decade now.

1. It’s a capacitive sensor. So even if someone cut off your finger and placed it on the phone it still wont unlock…needs electricity from your body
2. Unless the KGB or Jack Bauer is trying to get some info on your phone, this is an utterly absurd scenario. Stealing someone’s phone and cutting someone‘s finger off are on the complete opposite of the spectrum in terms of crime.

People who steal phones are looking to sell it to make money. They aren’t looking to go to prison on a mayhem assault charges for your ~$1,000 smartphone

Seriously, stop watching TV and trying to cast all criminals on the same level. People don’t just cut fingers off because they want to see your emails.

Try critical thinking
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
subi257 Avatar
49 months ago

"For those not particularly interested in the feature set that iOS 15 offers, it may still be a good idea to upgrade just to get the full suite of security fixes that Apple has deployed."

So the whole 'we will continue to release security updates for iOS 14 users' was a lie.
They always continue to realize security updates...for years afterwards.
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
alexiaa Avatar
49 months ago

So the whole 'we will continue to release security updates for iOS 14 users' was a lie.
No, it wasn't. They can still backport security fixes to iOS 14 but maybe they'll only get the ones that are deemed more critical.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Populus Avatar
49 months ago
Improved Face iD. For once I thought facial recognition was improved wearing a facemask
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)