We have urged readers in the past to pay attention to the pushes received from mobile phone manufacturers to update operating systems. Although the pushes claim that new features are included, there are also patches included to plug known vulnerabilities. If you keep pushing “later,” and you don’t update as soon as possible, those vulnerabilities continue to subject you to risk until they are patched.
This week, it was reported by ZDNet that hackers have successfully exploited a zero-day vulnerability in the iOS, for which Apple has indicated it will release a patch in the next few days. A zero-day vulnerability means that it can be exploited before the manufacturer has released a patch. The last time an iOS zero-day vulnerability was successfully released was in 2014. In the past, Apple has been able to release a patch for known vulnerabilities within one day.
The zero-day vulnerability, released by UncOver, version 5.0.0 of a jailbreak package, allows users access and full control over the device, even if they are running the most recent iOS, v. 13.5.
It is always important to update your iOS (or any other Operating System) as soon as the manufacturer sends you notification, but in this case, it is especially important for iPhone users to update the iOS when notified by Apple because of this known vulnerability. Once you receive the notification, plug in your phone and run the patch. Don’t be tempted to hit “later.”