Remember Stagefright, that vulnerability in Google’s Android operating system that had security experts up in arms? Turns out Apple devices running older versions of iOS, WatchOS, tvOS, and OS X aren’t immune. According to researcher Tyler Bohan at cybersecurity firm Cisco Talos, older versions of iOS and OS X contain an exploit that could theoretically allow a media file like a photo or video to defeat built-in software security measures and take over your device. The malformed media file could arrive as an email, iMessage, webpage, or other apps.
Luckily, protecting your Apple devices is relatively straightforward. As long as your iPhone, Apple TV, Apple Watch, and Mac are running the newest software, you’ve got nothing to worry about. Apple patched the exploits in the latest version of iOS 9.3.3, and says it’s working on a fix for OS X. Also rectified in the latest iOS version is a bug that permitted anyone on the same network as a FaceTime chat user to “intercept” the audio of ongoing conversations. Needless to say, it’s a critical patch, so download it now. It’s available for all iPhones from the iPhone 4S to the iPhone 6S/Plus.
