Apple’s iOS 13.6 comes with a ton of cool new features, but it also fixes 29 security vulnerabilities that affect iPhones and iPads, some of which are quite serious.
Apple’s new iOS 13.6 comes with tons of cool new features, but it also fixes 29 security … [+]
Some people don’t like updating when Apple releases a new version of iOS, they prefer to wait for the bugs to be fixed. As someone who covers security, I disagree with this approach, because newer versions of iOS also come with solutions for any serious issues in the older iPhone software.
This time, it is especially important to update your iPhone to iOS 13.6 as soon as possible, because Apple has released a sizable list of 29 security vulnerabilities that it has fixed in the latest version of the software.
Apple doesn’t give many details about iOS security issues, while people are still in vulnerable versions, to prevent hackers from taking advantage. However, in a support document detailing the security content of iOS 13.6, Apple lists the 29 issues that affect areas including Audio, Bluetooth, Kernel, Mail, Messages, Safari AutoComplete login, and WebKit.
The worst of the vulnerabilities patched in iOS 13.6 could allow arbitrary code to run: An attacker could gain the same privileges as someone who logged in, or bypass security restrictions and execute remote code on the affected system.
This is pretty serious, and as the application security leader, SME, from Sean Wright Immersive Labs points out, it’s a very good reason to upgrade now. “Every time I see remote code execution vulnerabilities, it’s something I want to patch immediately. These types of vulnerabilities may carry the greatest risk. “
New features available in Apple’s iOS 13.6
The new version of iOS 13.6 is one of Apple’s biggest for a while and may be one of the last before iOS 14 falls in a couple of months. It comes with a ton of new features like CarKey, which allows you to use your iPhone or Apple Watch to unlock your car.
And iOS 13.6 also includes a game-changing feature that is likely to be very popular with Apple users, new options that allow you to customize automatic updates. This can be found in your Settings under General> Software Updates.
Apple’s iOS 13.6 includes new switches that allow you to customize Automatic Updates.
As you can see in this screenshot, the option to choose “Download iOS updates” and “Install iOS updates” can help preserve space, but you need to know what you are doing to use this option.
Apple currently has these options enabled, and I suggest that you leave them to ensure you receive security updates like those detailed in iOS 13.6 as soon as possible. Still, it is good to know that they are there.
