American tech giant Apple issued a warning on Friday about a vulnerability that enables hackers to take control of Mac computers, iPads, and iPhones.
After identifying an operating system flaw that it claims “may have been actively exploited,” the tech giant advised owners of the majority of its devices to upgrade their software. Although it recommended customers to update their software immediately, it did not say how widely the vulnerability had been used.
Apple stated that the vulnerability affects iPhones going back to the 6S model, iPads starting with the 5th generation and after, iPad Air 2 and later, iPad mini 4 and later, all iPad Pro devices, and the 7th generation iPod touch in security updates published online on Wednesday and Thursday.
According to Apple (AAPL), flaws let hackers to “run arbitrary code” by taking over the operating system of a device and might also allow them to access devices through “maliciously generated web content.”
The business stated in a subsequent update that the flaw affects Mac machines using its Monterey OS as well as Apple’s Safari browser on its Big Sur and Catalina operating systems.
US government’s Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency warned that “an attacker may exploit one of these vulnerabilities to seize control of an affected device” and recommended Apple customers to upgrade their devices.
Users who are impacted should “install the required updates as soon as feasible,” the government said.
