iOS 16.7.1 brings important security fixes

Apple has released iOS 16.7.1 for those using iPhone 14 and below, who have haven’t yet upgraded to iOS 17. The update patches a kernel vulnerability that has been exploited in attacks

The flaw, tracked as CVE-2023-42824, has been described as a local privilege escalation issue, which suggests it has been used as part of an exploit chain.

Apple first warned customers about CVE-2023-42824 and its active exploitation on October 4, when it announced a patch with the release of iOS 17.0.3.

Apple noted at the time that exploitation had been seen against devices running iOS versions prior to 16.6. It has now released iOS 16.7.1 and iPadOS 16.7.1 to deliver the patches to devices that have not been updated to version iOS 17.

Security Fixes

Kernel

Impact: A local attacker may be able to elevate their privileges. Apple is aware of a report that this issue may have been actively exploited against versions of iOS before iOS 16.6.

Description: The issue was addressed with improved checks.