Apple’s iOS 17.4.1 was released last week, with the iPhone maker saying the update should be applied by all users. At the time, Apple did not reveal what was fixed in iOS 17.4.1.
Now, days after issuing iOS 17.4.1, Apple has finally revealed the details about fixes contained in its update.
Here’s what you need to know.
What’s Fixed In iOS 17.4.1?
In an update on its security page, Apple has detailed two fixes contained in iOS 17.4.1. Both tracked under the same CVE number CVE-2024-1580, the flaws in CoreMedia and WebRTC could allow an attacker to execute code if you interact with an image.
While the impact of a successful attack is serious, the patches released in iOS 17.4.1 have not been used in real life attacks. You would also need to interact with an image to be susceptible.
Using the iPhone issues patched in iOS 17.4.1, an attacker could potentially run malicious code remotely, says Sean Wright, head of application security at Featurespace. However, he says, as is typical of Apple, the details of how to use the vulnerability are limited at the moment, “making exploitation less likely.”
Why Did Apple Take So Long To Reveal the Details For iOS 17.4.1?
So why were the security details for iOS 17.4.1 released so late? As I predicted, Apple was waiting to patch its other software first, addressing the same issue affecting iPhones and iPads.
Apple released these patches for its other devices alongside the details for iOS 17.4.1. Safari 17.4.1 addresses the WebRTC issue, while macOS Sonoma 14.4.1 and macOS Ventura 13.6.6 patch both flaws in Mac devices. MacOS 14.4.1 also appears to fix the significant issue that was affecting Java on Apple silicon Macs, making it worth updating now, says Wright.
The same bugs were also fixed in iOS 16.7.7 for older iPhones and visionOS 1.1.1 for Apple’s Vision Pro.
Why You Should Update To iOS 17.4.1 Now
While the security flaws fixed in iOS 17.4.1 aren’t as major as many emergency patches issued by Apple in recent months, it’s still worth updating as soon as you can. The update appears to fix the battery drain bug many were suffering in iOS 17.4, as well as a QR code scanning iPad bug.
Go to your iPhone Settings > General > Software Update to Download and install iOS 17.4.1 now.