If you’re an Apple user — whether you have a Mac, an iPhone, an iPad, or an Apple Watch — you need to update your devices as soon as possible. That’s because Apple has discovered three actively exploited vulnerabilities that could cause your devices serious harm, and the patches are already out to fix them.
One of the bugs was found in Apple’s Security framework and would allow a malicious app to completely bypass a device’s signature validation. Another bug concerns the WebKit browser engine and could grant a threat actor the ability to run arbitrary code when a victim views a certain web page.
The third exploit was a flaw in a target device’s kernel that would let an attacker elevate their own privileges in the system, although it would require the person to have physical access to the device.
Commenting on the discoveries, Apple said: “Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited” on its devices in the wild.
Affected devices run the gamut of Apple products, and include the iPhone 8 or later, the iPad mini 5th generation or later, the Apple Watch Series 4 or later, and any Mac running macOS Monterey or later. If you have any of these devices, it’s important that you check for updates as soon as possible.
Bypassing security measures, running malicious code, and gaining higher system privileges than expected could all be very dangerous for a victim’s system and highlight the ever-present threat from hackers and cybercriminals.
The number of bugs that have been discovered — and the broad range of devices they affect — makes this a particularly serious incident. It also aptly demonstrates that Apple products are not invulnerable and can be affected by malware.
All three exploits were discovered by Maddie Stone of Google’s Threat Analysis Group and Bill Marczak of the Citizen Lab at The University of Toronto’s Munk School. Just over a week ago, Citizen Lab announced the discovery of another major exploit that affected almost any app and web browser that could display WebP images, making it a major threat to millions of users around the world.
Fortunately, Apple moved quickly to fix all three of the bugs discussed earlier in this article. The patches were rolled out in macOS 12.7 and 13.6, iOS 16.7 and iOS 17.0.1, iPadOS 16.7 and 17.0.1, and watchOS 9.6.3 and 10.0.1. Make sure you update your devices as soon as possible to ensure they are safe.
The OnePlus Buds Clip are a new pair of open-ear earbuds built around a simple convenience. They join Sony’s LinkBuds Clip in the growing ear-cuff category, but either OnePlus bud can go on either ear.
Sensors recognize how the earbuds are being worn and route the audio channels accordingly. There’s no label to check before putting them on, and the feature also works when only one bud is used.
We buy fitness bands and activity trackers to keep tabs on our exercise, but it is easy to forget to start tracking or switch modes when moving between different activities. For Fitbit and Pixel Watch users, that could soon become a lot less annoying, as Google is rolling out a major upgrade to automatic activity tracking that can recognize more than 100 types of exercise, up from just 10 before.
Google first showed off the improved tracking earlier this month alongside the Fitbit Edge. It is now coming to Fitbit Air and the Pixel Watch 3, 4, and 5, and Google claims the added context behind the system makes workout detection nearly twice as accurate while cutting missed activities by more than half. Fitbit Edge will support it too.
Samsung's next budget fitness tracker may look a lot like its predecessor. Although the company has yet to share any details about the device, Android Authority has obtained videos showing the Galaxy Fit 4 in three colors, offering a closer look at a wearable that appears to retain the same basic design as the Galaxy Fit 3.
Samsung may be playing it safe with its next fitness band