Apple today releases minor updates for all of its major software platforms to address a high-priority security vulnerability and to address a handful of other device- and service-specific issues. Updates for iOS 16.3.1iPadOS 16.3.1 and macOS 13.2.1 they fix a vulnerability”actively exploited” for executing arbitrary code in WebKit/Safari and a second kernel vulnerability that is not known to be actively exploited.
These updates also fix an issue that could cause iCloud to become unresponsive and a Siri bug that prevented the Find My feature from working properly. The HomePod 16.3.2 OS update also fixes some Siri issues that could cause smart home requests to fail. There are no detailed release notes available for watchOS 9.3.1 or tvOS 16.3.2, but these updates are also available for download and supposedly fix similar issues.
For iPhone 14 models, the iOS 16.3.1 update brings more changes to the Crash Detection security feature. Designed to automatically contact first responders in the event of a road accident or sudden fall, Crash Detection has also made headlines for the false positives it can generate: riding a roller coaster, ski, dropping the phone at high speed and other activities triggered Crash Detection.
For users of older Apple devices, there is a Safari update for macOS Big Sur and Monterey to fix the WebKit bug, but there is no equivalent update to iOS 15 or iPadOS 15 for older iPhones and iPads, nor a documented fix for the kernel issue in any of these older operating systems. We asked Apple if these OS versions are vulnerable to these bugs, and if so, if the company plans to release an update for them. We will update the article if we receive a response.
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