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Apple’s iOS 14 includes a ton of cool new features for the iPhone, but the major operating system update also addresses a list of 11 security vulnerabilities..
Apple’s iOS 14 includes a ton of cool new features for the iPhone, but the main OS update … [+]
Unless you’ve been hiding under a rock, you know that iOS 14, Apple’s long-awaited iPhone update, is now here with a host of cool new features. But iOS 14 also contains security updates that fix 11 vulnerabilities, another incentive to install it on your iPhone if you haven’t already.
The 11 security bugs addressed in iOS 14 span Apple Keyboard, Assets, WebKit, Siri, Apple AVD, and Sandbox, some of which are quite serious.
Security issues fixed in iOS 14
A fixed issue in Model I / O could lead to arbitrary code execution when processing a maliciously crafted USD file. Meanwhile, the sandbox vulnerability can allow a malicious application to access restricted files.
The Siri bug is a lock screen issue that could allow access to messages on a locked device, while a fixed vulnerability in WebKit meant that maliciously crafted web content processing could lead to a streaming attack. cross-site commands.
How important is updating to iOS 14?
There are quite a few security bugs on this list, so should you be concerned? Although some of the issues fixed in iOS 14 are serious, they are challenging to exploit; in other words, the adversary would actually find it difficult to carry out his attack because certain conditions must be met.
“While these security issues are of concern, any vulnerability that allows remote code execution is risky, the complexity of executing the appropriate exploits is difficult because it requires physical access or social engineering from the user to open a specially crafted file.” says Sean Wright, application security leader at Immersive Labs.
“While it is not impossible, it raises the bar to exploit, especially if physical access is required, which ironically would be even more difficult now with the pandemic,” Wright notes.
So, as Wright describes it, these issues shouldn’t be a problem if you follow security best practices – only install apps through the official app store and don’t open attachments from unknown senders or authors.
If you’re already doing these things, Wright thinks it should be okay to wait if you’d rather not update to iOS 14 while the bugs are fixed. But if you are not technical, it is a good idea to update to iOS 14 now.
That being said, I’ve been testing iOS 14 for the past few days and I’m not having any major issues. In addition to protecting yourself from security bugs, iOS 14 includes a ton of new security and privacy features that you can use to lock your iPhone.
